


The Five Stages

by moeblobmegane



Category: Hey! Say! JUMP
Genre: Alternate Universe - Big Hero 6 Fusion, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Cuddling & Snuggling, Depression, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Healing, M/M, Revenge, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-25
Updated: 2015-08-25
Packaged: 2018-04-15 14:02:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4609455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moeblobmegane/pseuds/moeblobmegane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A tale of a grieving boy and his companion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Five Stages

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chocomint](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocomint/gifts).



> The request was a BH6 AU where Yuto's brother dies and Yamada acts as his Personal Healthcare Companion (without being a robot).
> 
> Recepient-samaaaa, I've tried to make it as interesting and close to the source material as possible while still giving YamaYuto some moments, but there are key differences in the plot, like the fire happening in a smaller scale and a few other things. I hope that's fine? Also it's kinda dark and less campy, which I'm really sorry about, but you did say revenge fic? I- I hope you enjoy this anyway!
> 
> Thank you to Naya who supported me through all these and is basically the best person ever!!!
> 
> (Also. Read the tags very carefully and take care of yourself. It's not explicit or morbid, but there's a few things that might trigger people. Yuto is going through a really hard time, so his thoughts are _very_ dark.) You can check the end notes for explanation on the warnings.
> 
> Oh and in regards to age, they're all in the 17 - 23 range, with Yabu as oldest. Some ages aren't true to their real age because of Plot Reasons.

** Denial **

_ "The world becomes meaningless and overwhelming. Life makes no sense. We are in a state of shock and denial. We go numb. We wonder how we can go on, if we can go on, why we should go on." _

** \- - - **

The room was bathed in darkness, the same way it has been since a few weeks ago when he trudged inside and refused to turn on the switch.

What was the point, anyway? Everything was pitch black. Even with the lights open, even when the sun rises, even when he can clearly see the empty bed on the other side of the room, nothing shed light in the situation. Darkness was his company, because it was the only thing that made sense.

_No, it can’t be_ , was the thought that circled his mind these days.  _You’re all lying_  is what he wanted to shout at everyone. He ignored all their messages, all their calls, all the voices from the other side of his door. They were all lying.

_This is all a nightmare._ He’ll wake up and go back to the university with his friends. He was sure of that.

_None of this is real._

** \- - - **

_Just two months ago, Yuto was still playing around in the street, with no care for studying or making research breakthroughs. He was living a simple life with his small invented gears. There was nothing but music… and occasionally running from the police._

_“I’m not doing anything illegal, big bro,” Yuto groaned, watching as his drum set flew towards them and reorganized itself into its container. It was a good idea to put magnetic bearers in the joints, even though it was a hassle to make. Running away now was much easier when he could just click the switch for the electromagnet to put his things back together in their case. He could hear the sound of sirens getting closer, but they had a good headstart so it wasn’t really a problem. His brother came just right in time. “I was just playing!”_

_“Public disturbance is illegal, Yuto,” Kota sighed out, probably for the seventh time this month. He doesn’t understand Yuto’s hobby at all. Because he's a nerd. “Why can’t you use that big head of yours for something more useful?”_

_“What? Like going to your nerd school?” Yuto scoffed. “I’d rather do what I want than be stuck in a class being taught things I already know.”_

_The tires screeched as Kota pulled on the brakes, taking time to look back at his little brother with a look of disbelief. “Oh my god,” he gasped, jaw gaping. “I can’t believe you. I didn’t raise you to be this way!” He looked righteously angry, like he was a middle-aged mom rather than a barely adult brother._

_Yuto frowned, discreetly looking back at the road to see if the police cars were anywhere near. “You didn’t raise me. You’re just two years older than me,” he stated flatly when he found no trace of the police cars._

_“Still older,” Kota retorted, eyes going back to the road and starting the motor back on._

_They continued down their usual path home in silence. Yuto was mentally planning his next surprise gig, plotting a way to get into a higher place this time and test using his tap dance shoes that had additional magnetic features for walking on metallic vertical surfaces. He took music to a literal new level with his inventions, and isn’t that enough? He’s using his skills to spread rock to the world, which is definitely better than sitting in class with a bunch of nerds. And if he gets almost arrested every time, well, the world was just not ready for him. That wasn’t his fault._

_“Woah! Hey!” Yuto hit Kota’s side lightly as he noticed his brother taking a right instead of the left they take to get home. “What are you-“ He stopped when he saw the road sign. “Oh no, oh noooo! You can’t!”_

_Kota was chuckling, not even flinching as Yuto continued hitting him on the back. He was used to it by now. “I’m just gonna take something. It won’t be long.” They stopped in front of the University of Tokyo: Robotics Department. Yuto refused to look around in wonder. It was big and the architecture looked high-class, but this was still nerd school. Boring nerd school. _Kota_  grabbed his arm and pulled him to the entrance, smiling that no-eyes smile of his. “You haven’t seen my lab yet, right? Come on!”_

_The moment the door of the laboratory opened, it felt like he was transported into some kind of alternate futuristic universe. Weeks later, he would wonder if this was the moment he felt his world expand; the moment he stopped rejecting the need to create and watch the world; the moment he opened his eyes to the possibilities that Kota has always been keen to give him glimpses of._

_Either way, it was the moment he met the people who would be most important in his life._

_“Heads up!”_

__Kota_  pulled Yuto to the side, grinning as he looked up at the ceiling. Following his gaze, Yuto saw a boy smaller than him swinging down an arc and perfectly landing on a golden star on the floor. The rope dislodged from the ceiling and swiftly retracted back to the gun-like device on the boy’s hand._

_“Nice one, Spider.” _Kota_  raised his arm up for a high five, way too high for the boy. Spider just smiled widely and jumped, reaching his hand easily._

_‘That jump was…' Yuto looked down at his shoes. There was undoubtedly some springs in his soles that allowed him to bounce much more than normal people could. By the looks of it, the boy wasn't even strained by the movement. The device took the brunt of it instead of the boy's knees. He stared down in awe._

_“Yuto, this is Spider,” _Kota_  introduced. “He does…” He splayed his arms out, as if encapsulating everything they just saw. “He does things like that.”_

_Spider grinned, showing crooked teeth and a dimple on one cheek. “Applying physics theories, tensile strength and other properties to develop circus and gymnastic moves that could be recorded for future templates on robotic movements.”_

_“That’s so cool!” Yuto praised, unable to keep it in. He was smiling now, impressed. He told himself he wouldn’t react much, but that landing? And that jump? Too cool. “How about the end of the rope? What were you-“ Before he could even finish that question, another “heads up!” was shouted and _Kota_  and Spider had jumped off to the side. Yuto, unsure where to go, stayed rooted on his place. A wrong move. The next thing he knew, there was pink powder raining down from above._

_“Sorry!”_

_Yuto blinked, shaking his head to dislodge most of the powder. He looked up to see two people peeking down at him from an elevated platform at the side. Correction: it was one guy and another person wearing a Godzilla costume. “I- uh- what?”_

_“Don’t worry! It isn’t toxic!” The pale, curly-haired one said, running towards the stairs and rushing over to offer him a handkerchief. “Look!” His eyes were wide, almost maniacally so, as he pulled Yuto to a table full of chemicals. “Look, look!” He took a dropper and put a yellow substance into the mess of flasks and tubes. “A dash of perchloric acid! A smidgen of Cobalt, a hint of hydrogen peroxide! Aaaand!” He brandished a blowtorch from who knows where, eyes shining like that of a mad scientist._

_Yuto was a bit scared for his life. He stepped back. Where was his brother?!_

_“Super heat it to 500 degrees Kelvin and! Ta-da!” The final solution was a bright pink fluid, similar to the color of the powder that dropped on him. “Here!” He raise one hand up as a sign. Godzilla waved from the platform and threw a black ball about the size of a baseball. The pale guy easily caught it, though the recoil of his hand suggested that the small ball wasn’t as light as it looked._

_A closer inspection revealed that the black ball was, in fact, pure tungsten carbide-- one of the strongest metals in the world._

_“This is the best part!” The guy sprayed his concoction on the ball, immediately turning it pink. Then with one gentle touch of his finger, it exploded into a burst of powder._

_Yuto slowly smiled, the formula starting to make sense in his head. “Oh!” He smiled at the guy for the first time. “Chemical-metal embrittlement!”_

_Mad Scientist looked gleeful, like he wanted to gather Yuto into an enthusiastic hug. Yuto stepped back some more._

_“So you’ve gotten the formula down to an art, huh, Architect?” _Kota_  appeared at last, offering a proud smile and a pat on Architect’s back. “I see you’ve met my baby brother.” He ignored the glare Yuto was sending him, instead looking at the raised platform and shouting out, “Hikaru, come out of there! I can see your green scales!”_

_“Godzilla listens to nobody!” A voice, presumably Hikaru’s, yelled from above. “You can’t caaaatch me!”_

_“I ordered curry udon from that shop at 12_ _th  _ _street,” _Kota_  mused in a loud voice, obviously projecting innocence. “Hm~ I wonder if it has extras? Maybe I should just eat-“_

_Godzilla himself came running down the stairs in a flash, his head gear dropping to the side in his rush. “I will! I will eat it!”_

__Kota_  grinned, pulling at Hikaru’s arm to make him stand beside them. “This guy’s Hikaru. He doesn’t actually do anything here.”_

_“Wrong!” Hikaru stuck out his tongue at _Kota_  before offering his hand to Yuto. “I’m actually…” He cleared his throat and leaned closer. “The school mascot by day, but at night I’m… Bat-”_

_“Anpanman!” Architect announced, laughing when Hikaru immediately kicked his leg in retaliation. “He hangs out around here all the time for no reason.”_

_“I was helping you turn your black balls into pretty stuff!” Hikaru pouted, pointing at said 'pretty stuff' defiantly._

_“See? This is why you’re not studying here,” Spider noted haughtily. “Hikari-chan, it’s chemical-metal embrittlement. Say it with me. Che-”_

_“Nope!” Hikaru shook his head and then ran away again. Before he disappeared into the second floor, though, he shouted, “Not until you make the Power Rangers Changer I was asking you to make!”_

_“That’s not science!!!” Spider shot back, crossing his arms with a huff._

__Kota_  and Architect watched the exchange while chuckling to themselves. Yuto, on the other hand, continued to look at the different experiments around. There was an array of things around that he was sure he wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else; robots that were far more advanced than he’s ever seen and experiments he couldn’t start to comprehend. It dawned on him then, how impolite his words must have been. These people looked like they knew much more than Yuto knew, and Yuto graduated high school at 12 and took extra college classes while in high school. He was legitimately a genius. But in here, he looked mediocre._

_“Let’s go to my lab.” _Kota_  nudged him on the side, expression turning soft as if he heard what Yuto was thinking. “Come on.”_

_Shaking those thoughts away, Yuto followed. His head continued to whir with all the information they've been giving him. “Wait, by the way, Spider? Architect? Those aren’t names,” he observed. A slow grin appeared on his lips as a thought occurred to him. “Do you have your own top secret nerd name too, big bro?”_

_“I don’t,” _Kota_  answered with a laugh and an empathic shake of his head. “Hikaru’s the one who gives us nicknames. He tried to call me Tokyo Tower before but it never stuck. Not like Spider and Architect and Kitty and-”_

_Yuto blinked. “Kitty? Really?” He wondered what kind of person would have that nickname. Maybe some little teen girl who likes colorful clothes? That sounds like what 'Kitty' would mean. Deep in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the feet poking out under the black minivan at the side until it was too late. He stumbled, only staying upright because of _Kota's_  hand on his arm. “Woah!” He looked down, hearing the definite sound of someone cursing after hitting their head on the bottom of the car. “I’m sorry! Are you-“_

_The guy who came out had flashy brown hair and grease stains on his cheeks. It was weird how nice his hair looked despite being under there. The only messy part was the side where he must have hit his head. He frowned sleepily, standing up and stretching his arms. “Yo.” He yawned. “I was working,” he added in a defensive tone._

__Kota_  chuckled. “Riiight,” he drawled knowingly. “You were working. As you always do, Kitty.”_

_THIS was Kitty? He looked more like a lion. Or a tiger. A decidedly not small feline._

_“Heads-up!”_

_Yuto ducked down in time, watching as Spider flawlessly dropped on top of the minivan. The name really fit him, if he acted like this all the time. Ignoring the "Hey! Feet off the car!" from Kitty, Spider grinned down at Yuto. “I can see that look on your face,” he said, pointing a finger at his face. “Don’t be intimidated by this.” He gestured to the entirety of Kitty’s stance. “He’s all that but he’s really just a squishy kitten inside. And he pretends not to like it, but he likes cuddles!”_

__Kota_  nodded. “And he doesn’t like working much so he hides in places we won’t disturb him and takes a nap.”_

_“I was working!,” Kitty argued, pointing at his grease-stained face._

_“Do you wanna take this to the lie detector robot, Kitty?,” Spider asked with narrowed eyes and a deceptively sweet smile._

_Kitty's eyes widened. “No! No, It’s fine! I was sleeping!”_

_For such an energetic guy, Spider could turn pretty scary, huh? Yuto guessed first impression really wasn’t always right._

__Kota_  sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. It was interesting to see _Kota_  react that way to someone else other than him. Yuto kind-of assumed _Kota_  was already at his limit of exasperation just from being a pseudo-parent to him._

_“Let’s get you to my lab before Hikaru starts throwing more pink bombs,” _Kota_  said, nudging him back to their original destination. “I’d like you to meet someone.” _ _He pulled at Yuto’s arm to herd him away from the two._

_Before they could be out of earshot though, Spider called out, "Hey, Kou-chan?"_

_Kota blinked and looked back, offering a smile. "Hm?"_

_"Is Yama-chan still awake?," he asked, expression turning serious. Yuto vaguely remembered that name. "You're not working him too hard, are you?" It looked like he would personally jump towards them and maybe use his gun creatively if Kota's answer was wrong._

_Instead of reacting in any way Yuto expected (cower? frown?), Kota's expression turned soft and gentle. Like the smile he always gave Uncle Kame when he needed emotional support. "I'm not," he answered. "Don't worry too much."_

_Spider huffed and went back to arguing with Kitty._

_Yuto was still trying to remember where he heard that name when they stopped in front of another door. Kota opened it up to reveal a small room that was obviously his own laboratory. There was a desk at the side, a bunch of papers strewn everywhere (on the floor, on the walls) and random things cluttered on every surface. It looked like Kota’s personal space, just like his side of the room at home. “I’ve been working on something,” he said, picking up a duct tape from the desk. “Here.” He cut off a small portion and put it on Yuto’s arm, rubbing to attach it properly._

_“What are you- OUCH!” Yuto flinched as _Kota_  peeled it off in one go. “What did you do that for?!”_

__Kota_  just smiled, gesturing to the white blob inflating behind him. “Just watch,” he mouthed, bouncing on his heels in excitement._

_The white thing grew to full size, taller than them both. It walked over, raising a hand in a wave. “Hello!,” it said, in a pleasant voice. “I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion. On a scale of one to ten-“ Its stomach lit up like a monitor, showing ten different smiley faces ranging from happy to sobbing and red in the face. “How will you rate your pain?”_

_“Physical or emotional?,” Yuto asked sarcastically, throwing an unimpressed grimace at his brother. “This is stupid.”_

_“Just answer the question, jerk,” Baymax said, in a voice that was definitely not-pleasant and not in the very least robot-like._

_“What.”_

__Kota_  laughed, moving in front of Yuto to shake his head disapprovingly at the robot. “Yama-chan, we shouldn’t call the patient names.”_

_“Your brother is being annoying,” Yama-chan shot back, an obvious pout in his voice._

_“What is happening?,” Yuto asked, tugging at _Kota_ ’s sleeves. “What is THAT? Some kind of good-cop, bad-cop nurse robot?”_

__Kota_  stared at him for a second before bursting out laughing. “Oh my god… That is good! That’s brilliant! A good-cop, bad-cop nurse robot… Why didn’t I think of that? We don’t even need to finish the AI if we can just make Yamada-kun control Baymax all the time.”_

_“Control? Yamada-kun?” That was really a familiar name. He's pretty sure he has heard that somewhere. Like... in their dinner conversations. “Oh!” He snapped his fingers, looking up at the robot. “You’re that guy! My brother’s research partner, right?” He patted the arm of the robot. It was squishy, made of smooth vinyl and air. “Yamada Ryosuke?”_

_“Nice to meet you,” the not robot-like voice replied, almost shyly now. He cleared his throat before continuing. “ _Kota_ -san, please don’t show off until you’ve finished writing the code for Baymax. Me controlling Baymax remotely is just a temporary solution.”_

__Kota_  pouted but nodded, scratching his nape sheepishly. “Alriiiight,” he agreed. “Give me about a month? We have time to work on it, anyway. Sakurai-sensei's just asking for the plans and timeframes."_

_“It’s okay,” Yamada said. It was eerie to hear such a human voice on a robot that looked like a giant marshmallow. “I don’t have anything to do anyway.” There was warmth in his voice, something closer to a ‘good nurse’ tone, but when he turned to Yuto, there was none of that again. “I can’t deactivate Baymax until you say you’re satisfied with your care.”_

_“Well, I’m not,” Yuto retorted childishly, annoyed at the change in tone. “You should improve your bedside manners, Baymax.”_

_Yamada made an annoyed noise, then used Baymax to grab Yuto’s arm. Raising one finger, he pointed it to Yuto’s aching arm and sprinkled medicine on it. “There, all done, Yuto-kun. Are you satisfied?”_

_“I could have been allergic to whatever you just sprayed on me!” He crossed his arms, noticing how his arm now felt cool and had less pain but refusing to show his relief to anyone. “I could die from that!”_

_“You’re not allergic to anything," Yamada said, matter-of-fact. "I scanned you.”_

_Yuto gasped, covering his torso with his arms. “Invasion of privacy!”_

_“You’re hilarious,” Yamada said flatly. “Please just say it.”_

__Kota_  laughed, seemingly amused by their interaction. “Come on, Yuto. Just say it.” He poked Yuto on the side. “Yamada-kun’s still working on his social skills. Besides, he needs to rest now.” He looked directly towards the robot. "You need to rest now."_

_“You’ve got a long way to go,” Yuto murmured, not even listening to whatever Yamada grumbled in response, but added begrudgingly, “I am satisfied with my care.”_

_Baymax moved to the side, deflating back into its box. _Kota_  closed the lid and faced Yuto, showing two thumbs up and an expectant face. “Soooo?”_

_“Your research partner sucks,” Yuto said sulkily. Then, when Kota mimed an exaggerated sad face, he added, “But that looked cool.” He smiled. “Vinyl covering with a Titanium skeleton?” He gestured vaguely to Baymax' box._

_“Carbon Fiber,” _Kota_  corrected. “Much lighter.” He walked over and put an arm around Yuto’s shoulders, sighing in relief. “I’m glad you thought it was cool." He said it like Yuto's disapproval would be the worst thing. And perhaps it was. Their family was so small already, and the two of them were closer than anyone, so they both appreciated each other's support much stronger than other people normally would. "Come on, let’s get you home.”_

_They walked towards the door and opened it, only to come face to face with another student poised to knock. “Uh,” the boy, probably younger than Yuto, stuttered. “Hi?” He opened his fist and waved the hand awkwardly instead, lips twitching to the side._

_“Baby!” _Kota_  greeted loudly, patting him on the head affectionately. It looked like a practiced move._

_“Don’t call me that,” Baby groaned, swatting his hand away. He didn't sound angry though. It was more like the sound of a child getting embarrassed by overly affectionate parents. “I’m Ryutaro,” he told Yuto directly. “You must be the famous genius baby brother.” He smiled then, nodding his head in a strangely fond way. It made him look older, more mature. “ _Kou-chan_  always talks about you.”_

_Yuto felt himself flush in embarrassment. “Hopefully not bad things,” he muttered._

_Ryutaro laughed and shook his head, face returning to its child-like expression now. “It’s all about how great you are. Ah, _Kou-chan_ , can I borrow your spare Lithium ion batteries? I need to test Coco.”_

_“Ah, okay!” _Kota_  pointed him inside. “Just close the door when you’re done!”_

**_\- - -_ **

Yuto looked down at his phone on his bedside table, wondering how many unread messages it had now. Spider bombarded him with messages after a week of his absence. Kitty kept on trying to call him. Architect and Hikaru visited him regularly to check if he’ll come out of the room.

He didn’t want to, though. There was no point to it.

His phone buzzed as another message from Spider went through. He clicked [close] without even checking it. His phone wallpaper, a picture of him, Kota and their friends, appeared on the screen.

_See_ , he wanted to say,  _he’s right there, isn’t he? My brother isn’t dead._

He sighed heavily, dropping on his back on his bed. “Ouch!” He patted the sheets to see a wrench lying there unnecessarily. He wondered if Kota left it there.

A sound at the other side of the room then got his attention. There was something opening, a red lid being pushed aside as a white vinyl robot got inflated into its real size. Feeling a great sense of deja vu, he watched as Baymax grew to its full size and toddled over to him. He could imagine it, if he closed his eyes, the moment Kota unveiled this project to him with that wide proud smile of his. Yuto was initially unimpressed then.

He didn’t know what to feel now.

All he knew was he didn’t want to see this, that he didn’t want to talk or face anyone. He wasn’t ready yet. He wasn’t sure he would ever be.

Kota wasn’t here to grin at him from behind Baymax, and the reminder was enough to make Yuto stand up to face the robot. He just needed to deactivate him, to make sure it would leave him alone.

Before he could do anything, however, Baymax stopped mere inches away from him and raised a hand in an awkward wave. “Hello,” it said in its cheery pleasant voice. “I am Baymax. Your personal health care companion.” Just like before, its stomach glowed into a screen with ten smiley faces. “On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?”

Yuto groaned and shook his head, grimacing. “I’m not hurt,” he said. “Please just get out.”

For a few seconds, there was no response. And then, instead of Baymax’ calm soothing voice, there was the undoubtedly human sound of someone gasping. “Oh! Baymax is still there!” Yamada sounded surprised and delighted for a moment before he stopped and cleared his throat. “Um.” Silence. Then, “Yuto-kun?” This time it came out quiet and hesitant, the hint of worry surprisingly obvious.

Yuto felt a flash of annoyance. There was nothing to be worried about. He was  _fine_ , like how Kota was  _still alive_. “Get out,” he muttered, glaring at Baymax’ camera-lens eyes. “Just get out.”

Baymax remained where he was, unmoving. “Yuto-kun…” Yamada continued to sound concerned. He paused. “Your dopamine levels are too low, and your blood sugar is, too. You’re shaking lightly, you’re too pale and you’re almost dehydrated.” He noted all of it with the bluntness of a professional doctor. His voice softened when he continued though. “This isn’t healthy. You need to drink water and eat. And you need to talk to someone. It’s hard to accept help, but you have to.”

“I don’t need your help,” he spat out, blood boiling in anger. He’s never even heard Yamada speak this much before. He gritted his teeth. “I don’t need  _help_. I’m fine. Just get out.”

“Stop being stubborn.” There was an edge of desperation in his tone now. Baymax’ hand came up to grab Yuto by the arm, pulling gently towards the door. “You need to get out. In your condition, water, some food and sunlight is vital for your recovery.”

Keeping his feet rooted on the ground, Yuto glared harder and growled, “Don’t touch me.”  _Stepping out of this room would make everything real. None of this is real._

“Please…” Yamada’s plea rang through the room. “Yuto-kun…” There was an audible intake of breath, and then, “Kota-san wouldn’t want you to act like this.”

Yuto flinched, recoiling back as if he was slapped. He tried to pry Baymax’ hands, but his hold was strong. “And what do you know?!” He lashed out, didn’t know what else to do, didn’t have any choice anymore. “You don’t know  _anything_. My brother is not dead. He’s alive, okay?” His knuckles were white where they were clenched at his side, and vaguely he felt the tears falling down his cheeks. He pulled back, harder than before, and successfully got out of the robot’s grip.

He dropped down on the floor, bringing his knees up and hugging them close, in the position he’s been using the past few days. He let his face get smushed on his pants, not even caring about what he looked like right now.

“ _You don’t know anything_ …”

The silence reigned again, and for a moment, Yuto thought the other boy has given up.

But then Baymax’ hand rose up to grab him again, pulling with that gentle force. It wasn’t enough to make him move.

“Baymax! Pull harder!” came Yamada’s frustrated voice.

Instead of doing as told, Baymax released his grip and stepped back. “Error: any action that might harm the patient is strictly prohibited. Shut down commencing in 60 seconds. Sixty, fifty-nine-”

“What?!,” Yamada shouted over the countdown. “ _Now_ you’re acting like you have a working code?!” He muttered words under his breath, sounding extremely annoyed, before the line went dead.

_Well_ , Yuto thought as he looked up at the motionless Baymax,  _that’s the end of that._

 

Except it wasn’t.

An hour later, the sound of a fist pounding on his door woke him up from a nap he didn’t even realize he was taking. “Open this door right now!” That was… familiar. But it couldn’t be, right? Yamada stayed inside his room at all times, never even showing up in the university or when everyone hung out together. “Nakajima Yuto! OPEN UP!”

Perhaps it was the urgency in his voice, the anger and the complete determination unlike the quiet pleading and the worried tone from his other visitors, that made Yuto stand up. He braced himself…

And opened the door.

**\---**

 

_It was during a dinner a few months ago, even before he met Baymax or seen the nerd school, when Yuto first heard about Yamada’s predicament._

_“You're officially working with Yamada-kun on the project?” Uncle Kame looked surprised and pleased, eyes crinkling at the sides. He stared at Kota across their small dining table with rapt interest, then glanced at Yuto for a second. “He must be a really smart fellow, then.”_

_Yuto scoffed, shaking his head while snickering. “Let's not jump into conclusions here, now."_

_Kota burst out laughing and kicking him under the table lightly. “Someone's in a bad mood.” His lips turned into a crooked grin as he watched Yuto’s reaction. “You jealous?”_

_“Why would I be?” Yuto smirked. "I bet he's just some fat nerd who's spent their entire life studying. He's probably 40. He is, isn't he?"_

_"No," Kota answered, shaking his head. "I'm not sure how old he is, though. We haven't exactly seen each other."_

_Yuto raised an eyebrow. "So you can't prove he's not some fat, old nerd?"_

_“You can’t prove he is,” Kota shot back, raising an eyebrow. “He doesn’t get out of his own lab at home.”_

_“Doesn’t that support my hypothesis?,” Yuto replied smugly. “Maybe that’s why.”_

_“Yuto!” Uncle Kame was looking at him disapprovingly, and Yuto felt a bit like a small child again, being scolded for setting fire to the garage. (It happened one time, okay? Twice, if you count the one Daiki extinguished before Uncle or Kota could see, but what they didn’t know didn’t count, so.) “That’s impolite.” Uncle crossed his arms and frowned. “Do you have an issue against your brother’s research partner? Someone you haven't even met?”_

_“N-not really…” Yuto refused to tell them about how annoying it was to hear them talk about this Yamada repeatedly every night as if he was some kind of amazing person. Yuto was amazing too! He could invent lots of things and had a genius-level IQ! Just because he’s not studying in the nerd school, doesn’t mean he’s less._

_Kota's grin turned all-knowing, leaning back on his seat and casually saying, “Just admit it. You're jealous of Yamada-kun."_

_Yuto gaped. “What? 'm not.”_

_“You can always visit my lab, you know? Build robots with your big brother like we used to do,” Kota’s expression softened, the teasing tone being colored with quiet nostalgia._

_“I- I don’t-!” Yuto pushed off his chair and stood up, pouting petulantly like the child he still really was. “I’m not jealous of your fat ugly 40-years old shut-in research partner!”_

_And then he stalked off to go back to his room without finishing his dinner. He ignored the silent laughter coming from Kota and Uncle Kame at the table._

** \- - - **

Yamada Ryosuke, as it turned out, was not fat or ugly or even close to 40 years old. He looked _younger_ than Yuto, in fact. He was shorter, with chubby cheeks but a well-formed jawline. His hair was a strange silver color and his eyes were covered in black-rimmed glasses. He wore a comfortable-looking fluffy peach sweater that had  _thumbholes,_ and a pair of gray sweatpants. He looked like he just got out of bed. He looked… so _young._  (And Yuto would be lying if he said the word ‘beautiful’ didn’t come to mind.)

“Wait, what?” Yuto gaped some more. In the outburst of shock and confusion, he didn’t even register that he’s just opened his door after a whole week of keeping it close. “ _You’re_  Yamada-kun?”

For a moment, Yamada was quiet, expression turning into confusion as he slowly nodded. “Who else?,” he muttered. And then, to Yuto’s surprise, his expression changed into determination, eyes going sharp and chin jutting forward as if he just gathered enough resolve to do something. He stepped forward into the room and…

And raised both arms up, enveloping Yuto in a full body hug. Yamada raised to his tiptoes to lean his head on Yuto’s shoulder, tightening his arms and burrowing impossibly closer.

Yuto was so confused. He had to place a hand on Yamada’s back to keep them from falling over, but beyond that, he couldn’t move. He was frozen in shock. (If his mind was working, he'd realize  _shock_ was the first emotion he's felt other than the overwhelming emptiness.)

“What…?”

Yamada made a shushing noise, rubbing a hand on Yuto’s back continuously. “It’s okay,” he said in a startingly soft voice. "It's okay."

It was… It was  _weird,_ is what it was. It wasn’t something he expected from Yamada, or anyone for that matter, but  _especially_ Yamada. They haven’t exactly been the best of friends. Certainly not friends enough to warrant this kind of hug. They were more like begrudging acquaintances. Rivals, if he was being honest.

But the hug was  _warm_ and comfortable in a way that Yuto hasn’t felt lately. He wanted to let go, step back and glare, but his body was at its limits. He knew he was weak, has been going through everyday with barely any energy. It chose to give up now, to go boneless and drop his weight forward. His head fell on top of Yamada's, unable to will himself off the warmth. Comfort was something he didn’t think he’d get, not now, not any time soon.

Here they were, though. It felt like being protected from every single awful thing he knew was lingering just outside his door.

The hug lasted for what felt like a very long time. Yamada’s hand was rubbing rhythmic circles on his back, hands gentle but firm. It was grounding him back to reality.

_This is real_ , he couldn’t help but think. Traitorous brain. If this was real, then everything else would be real.

And that… that wasn’t something Yuto wanted to accept.

 

He took a deep shuddering breath and pushed Yamada back, too gently for someone who has been shouting in anger just an hour ago. His hand lingered on Yamada’s arm. And he had to force himself to let go and step back.

“Why are you here?” His voice came out quiet and rough, raspy from the screaming before. There wasn’t any anger in it though; he couldn’t muster enough strength for it. He felt dried up. He felt like every single resistance he’s been putting up was crumbling down. Opening the door was a huge mistake. Accepting the hug was even more so.

Yamada’s expression was back to the determined look he had earlier. His eyes narrowed as he looked through Yuto’s face, then down his torso and his limbs. It felt like being scanned. Which was a weird feeling to get from someone who was undoubtedly human. “We need to get you out of here,” he said with finality.

“What?”

Not giving him any time to react properly, Yamada grabbed his wrist and dragged him out, kicking the door close behind them without a second glance. It was the first time Yuto’s been out of the room since  _that day_ , but he couldn’t process the implications of that because he was too busy trying not to trip on his own feet as Yamada dragged him down the stairs and into the dining area. Maybe that was the plan. The shock factor was too much for him to voice disagreement or even fight back.

“We’re going to eat, and drink, and walk outsi-“ He looked back and eyed Yuto’s shirt. It was rumpled and had tear stains. Yuto didn't remember when he last changed his shirt. It didn't feel important, to do that. Something so mundane wasn't welcome in his room full of darkness. “You’ll shower first and we can walk outside.” He nodded to himself and dragged Yuto to sit on the chair. His shoulders were set and his chin held high, like he was sure of all of this, like he had complete control of the situation. He looked like this was a life-and-death mission. “You need sunlight. It’ll feel good, I promise. Then we’ll talk to your uncle and you’ll…” He walked over to the kitchen counter where a plastic filled with groceries were. He moved around with ease and continued rambling. “I don’t know what you’ll do, but you have to do something.” He made a noise of frustration. “The books weren’t very specific about what to do with… well,  _this stage_ , but I’m pretty sure talking with the people you love would help, it’s a universally accepted way of coping.”

Yuto wondered if this was what being steamrolled felt like. He couldn’t say a word. There were too much to process. Was overloading him with information another tactic to make him agreeable?

“I brought juice and food. We can stay in first. Luckily, your house is connected to the cafe so we can just ask for cake from your uncle. Sugar is good.” He nodded again, mostly like he was checking a list in his head, instead of actually interacting with Yuto. He put a juice box in front of Yuto, a child-friendly one with the bendy straw and the cartoon game at the back. Upon seeing Yuto’s frown, Yamada froze and defensively explained, “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not used to taking care of older people. I was in the pediatric ward for my research.”

“You step out of your house?,” was Yuto’s first coherent words. He felt like that was the root of his confusion, the fact that Yamada was fussing over him and was  _here_ instead of in his lab. It was just an anomaly.

Yamada went quiet, taking things off the plastic bag and placing them one by one in front of Yuto. There was a bento box from the convenience store. It was Yuto’s favorite one. Finally, after setting everything down, he dropped on the chair across from Yuto and crossed his arms. He stared Yuto down and sighed. “I-“ He stopped, took a deep breath. “I haven’t been out of my house in more than a year.”

Yuto looked down and opened the bento for something to do. He didn’t have an appetite but he figured he had nothing else to focus on. Everything was so surreal. Maybe that was helping too, that it didn’t feel quite as real as he feared. That there was a semblance of  _dream-like quality_ in this situation.

“I went here because I had to.”

“Had to?” Obligation. Guilt. Sense of duty. Yuto could piece it together easily enough now that he was sitting down. Everything was getting clearer. (He didn’t  _want_ clear, though. He wanted the darkness of his room and the inability to see through everything.)

“Kota-san asked me to take care of you,” Yamada said, with enough gentleness and sadness to show he was still grieving.

Yuto tried to summon indignance, the denial he’s been clinging on to for days, but all he felt was emptiness. The hug, the lit up dining area, and the movement they went through, it all sapped too much energy from him. “I don’t need help,” he said, automatic, even as he took a bite of the bento and felt his taste buds kick up on overdrive. Just like that, he felt his appetite reawakening, as if a reminder was all it needed to know Yuto still needed to eat. That Yuto was still alive.

Yamada simply watched him eat, silent but obviously calculating inside his head. He looked like he was planning where to push next. As Yuto ate, Yamada started listing things quietly under his breath. “Endorphin levels were low, but that’s expected. Dopamine levels can be repaired. Heart rate slow, but not near fatal. Pale skin, eyebags… 8? 10? Hours of sleep needed…”

By the time Yuto finished the whole box of food, he realized there was still space inside his stomach for more. Another box, maybe. Desserts, sure. Yamada did say he needed sugar.

“I’ll get you something from the cafe,” Yamada said immediately, taking the trash and placing it on the kitchen counter for later. The cafe was just on the first floor, connected to their house through an adjoining door.

Yuto nodded, unexpectedly grateful of the offer. He didn’t know if he could stand yet with the adrenaline and shock gone from his system. He felt sluggish, as if his joints weren’t oiled enough yet. Other than that, there was the pressure of facing Uncle Kame and Daiki. Uncle Kame has been talking at him through the door the past few days, trying to comfort him and make him eat. He’s been trying so hard, even though now that Yuto could think more clearly, he knew his uncle needed him too. And Daiki was as much family as Uncle and Kota were. He’s been working at the cafe since he graduated high school, has been Yuto’s friend for longer. Daiki left food outside his door everyday, not missing a single meal even though Yuto refused to eat them.

It felt awful, having to face all of that.

Having to face  _reality_ and  _death_.

Yuto wanted to be angry at Yamada for piercing a hole through his walls, for poking just right that everything flowed out into a torrent of realizations. He wanted to be angry, but he just felt tired.

** \- - - **

 

Yamada was back minutes later with two big slices of their specialty strawberry daiquiri cake. By the look on Yamada’s face when he took a bite, the choice of flavor was more about his curiosity than Yuto’s. Having grown up in a cafe, Yuto was fine with literally any kind of cake his uncle would make. He never quite had a favorite, eating any sweets as long as it was his uncle who made it, which he thought was very Pavlovian of him. Kota had laughed at that comment before, when Yuto talked about it, and said that Yuto was strangely cynical for a kid who has invented a hoverboard at 12 (" _And thus should look at the world with wonder-filled eyes rather than cynicism"_ ).

Thinking about Kota brought him back to the present again, pulling him into the harsh reality that crept up on him through Yamada’s nosiness. It was like bucket of cold water to his head.

“Mmm…” Yamada looked like was in heaven, eyes closing and a moan of pleasure rumbling out of his mouth. It must have been a long time since he’s eaten a cake.

Yuto didn’t know what to do, so he dug in. The burst of rum and sweet strawberry was a pleasant change in his tongue. The sweetness alongside the bitterness of alcohol mixed together perfectly, as his uncle has always made. That was another reminder, that life does go on. Life  _does_  go on. The cafe was up and running. He could hear Daiki’s pleasant voice down there, his charming greeting and the way he laughed full-bellied when someone tells him a joke. He could hear his uncle’s calls for the order and his jibes to the usual customers. Life continued on. Life  _was_ continuing. Life  _will always_ continue on.

_ Even without Kota. _

He focused on eating his share of the cake, keeping his head blank, and instead mechanically going through the movements of forking it bit by bit to his mouth.

“ _Hic!”_

He only looked up when he was finished, eyes going wide as he saw Yamada’s expression. The plate was empty in front of him, and his fork was in the middle of the table. Yamada’s eyes were glazed and his whole face was red. As Yuto stared, Yamada hiccuped once again.

Oh, no.

“Are you  _drunk_?” Yuto gaped at him for the nth time today. Yamada was such an anomaly, and Yuto could not predict any of his actions. “Did you actually get drunk from the cake?” He knew about low alcohol tolerance, but just from eating a cake with rum? Really? How sheltered was this guy?

Yamada blinked at him slowly, long eyelashes fanning down with every second. A slow smile spread on his face, goofy and so obviously drunk. “I-  _hic_ I don’t-“ He scrunched up his nose, and then let out a laugh. “What’s  _in_ this cake?” He laughed some more, head dropping down. He propped his chin on the table and grinned. “I think I’m- hmm the world is spinning.” He said it as if it was good news.

Yuto stared at him for another beat before his brain kicked into action. He stood up, went over to the fridge to get some water and started the coffee machine just in case.

When he looked back to check on Yamada though, he saw the table was empty.

“Goddammit,” he groaned, rushing over to the stairs to see where he might have went. The door to his room was still closed, and by the sound of surprise downstairs, he must have went to the cafe.

Before Yuto knew what he was doing, he was already taking two steps at a time down the stairs. He opened the door without hesitation, only stopping when he saw his uncle’s expression of shock upon seeing him come out. He felt a stab of guilt in his chest again, but he refused to dwell on that now.

“Fluffy!” He looked to the side to see Yamada jumping over the counter divider and pushing both of his hands on Daiki’s hair. They were, in fact, very fluffy. “You’re so- you’re so-“ He giggled and rubbed both hands on Daiki’s hair some more, to the other boy’s utter mortification. Daiki sent a look of panic towards Kame, but Kame was still staring at Yuto. “Fluffy baby~” Yamada stepped closer and rubbed his cheek on Daiki’s hair. “Fluffy~ baby~”

Yuto felt a sudden jolt of amusement at the image, the first real positive feeling he’s had since he got out of the room. He let out a surprised laugh. “What the-“ He rushed forward and pulled at Yamada’s arm to get him away from the panicking Daiki. “Get over here, you drunk.” There was clear amusement in his voice, and by the sound Kame and Daiki made, it must have been obvious to them too. Daiki looked like he was going to cry. A quick look to Kame showed that he was stepping forward with the same expression.

“We’re just-“ Yuto pulled at Yamada’s arm harder, walking off and away from those expressions. He- he’s not really ready. “We’re going up.” And just like that, he flee.

Yamada was a dead weight on his side by the time they were climbing up the stairs. His silver hair was plastered on his forehead and his whole cheek was plastered on Yuto’s shoulder. Both arms hang limp on either side of him. He was mumbling. “You’re- you’re so- You’re so  _thin_. Do you know that? Like a bamboo stick. Kota-san was the same. Baymax can’t be based on him because he looks like he’s gonna poke you accidentally with an elbow. So much  _bones_.” He sighed. “He told me you were a bamboo stick too, you know? He liked talking about you. I was so… I was so jealous… He said you're the best little brother  _ever_.”

Yuto gritted his teeth, hand tightening on Yamada’s arms. He kept quiet and pushed forward, not wanting to hear anything but also wanting to hear so much more. He wanted to hear about Kota at school, but he also wanted to stop the words. He didn’t want to hear about his brother in the past tense.

“And I- I thought he was so cool. I thought  _I want him to be my big brother too_. And I wanted to meet you, see what the fuss is about. I was _sooo_ jealous. And then, and then I met you.” Yamada looked up at him with those glazed eyes, squinting slightly before continuing. “You were such a dick.”

“You were, too,” Yuto pointed out, taking slow deep breaths to calm himself down.

“Well…” Yamada dropped his head back on Yuto’s shoulder, slumping to his side much more. He was  _heavy_. “I was jealous, okay?! Bite me!” He groaned. “You were just- Kota-san thought so highly of you and yet you didn’t want to study with him in the school. I was your  _replacement._ A second choice.” He hiccuped. “You were really such a dick,” he repeated.

Yuto quietly pulled him towards his room and plopped him down on his bed. “He loved you like a little brother too,” he whispered. “I was jealous, too.”

Yamada didn’t answer, his soft snores making it obvious that he was already asleep.  He was frowning, eyebrows furrowed in apparent distress. Maybe he was having a dream. Maybe he was dreaming of Kota too. Maybe… maybe Yuto wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to accept his brother’s death.

Resolve strengthening, Yuto went out of the room and closed the door behind him. He might as well take a shower and walk outside.

* * *

**Anger**

_"Anger is strength and it can be an anchor, giving temporary structure to the nothingness of loss. At first grief feels like being lost at sea: no connection to anything. Then you get angry at someone, and suddenly you have structure-- your anger towards them."_

 

 _The smell of smoke was overwhelming. Their garage-workshop was being licked by flamed from all corners, with all the exits burning. It wasn’t just wood and concrete burning inside. There were chemicals and metals there that weren’t supposed to be anywhere near an open fire. But they couldn’t do anything, couldn’t even try to stop it._ **_Everything_ ** _was burning. Plastic, metals, chemicals… It was an awful smell, maybe even toxic. Spider had put a mask on Yuto upon seeing the destruction, just like how he gave one to everyone. He has always been quick to react like that, has always been good with taking care of people in emergencies._

_But Yuto wanted to rip off the mask and breathe in the toxic air. He wanted to push away Kitty’s hands and run inside. He wanted not to be outside, but instead inside with his brother. To save him, or to die with him. Together until the end._

_Before he could do anything though, before he could rush inside, an explosion sent all of them flying back. The last thing he heard was the anguished “NO!” from Hikaru, and then silence as everything went dark._

 

_When he woke up, it was to the sound of Uncle Kame’s sobs and the doctors saying they found Kota's and Ryutaro’s DNA in the remains of their garage._

_Yuto threw up on the hospital floor, and didn’t stop shaking until he was injected with sedatives to force him to sleep._

**_\- - -_ **

After everything that happened yesterday, Yuto was expecting something to change. Maybe some motivation to come back? Or for some feelings other than the emptiness inside him? Something. _Anything_. He was hoping Yamada’s arrival would mark something. Instead, he woke up from a nightmare and the smell of smoke still lingering in his nose.

The only change was how he knew that dream he had was a memory. How he knew every single nightmare was real. How he knew he’d wake up from here on out with the distinct feeling of something missing in his life.

It wasn’t a good change, and the only thing he felt was annoyance at Yamada for bringing those feelings into his heart.

He was doing _fine_. He wanted to live inside his room forever and break apart on his own.

But now he had energy from the food he ate, and his muscles itched to move some more from the exercise he did yesterday. He was more aware of his needs now, and yet his mind still did not want to do anything. There was dissonance now, and that was jarring. No matter how much his body wanted more, his mind refused to accept it.

It felt like nothing could make him move.

**\- - -**

“I’m going to call everyone,” Yamada insisted, sitting at the end of his bed and staring him down with the same determined expression he had before he hugged Yuto. For someone who’s been staying inside his lab for more than a year, he was surprisingly comfortable lounging in Yuto’s room. He was also headstrong and willfull; two things that didn’t quite connect to Yuto’s image of a shut-in. (But maybe it _should_ have connected better, given how blunt he was the first time they met.) “Or at least Chinen. He’s- he could help.”

“Who’s-“

Yamada frowned at him disapprovingly. “Spider,” he said as if that should have been obvious. “You don’t know their real names?”

Yuto frowned back. “They never said,” he retorted. It was easy to fall back to anger. It was easy to be angry at Yamada, in particular, with his nosiness and his stubborn need to fulfill his duty to Kota. Yamada was such an easy target.

Instead of saying anything to that, Yamada nodded and picked up his phone. He didn’t argue with Yuto. He was treating Yuto like a _patient,_ after all, as if he was sick and not just someone who wanted to be left the hell alone.

“Don’t call them,” Yuto said for the 5th time since they woke up. “It’s- it won’t help.” He wanted to be left alone. It was easy enough to be angry at Yamada, but if more people came, Yuto was afraid his aggression would spread to target more people. It would be so much easier to blame them, to dredge up anger and use it to feel something other than this emptiness.

Yamada dropped back the phone at his side, eyeing Yuto critically. He’s been doing that ever since this morning, as if he was scanning through Yuto and figuring out where his sickness was. “Okay,” he said quietly, eyes intent on Yuto’s. “Sleep more, for today. You need it.”

**\- - -**

_“You need to present something amazing in the S & T Fair. If you show them something they haven’t seen before, they’ll give you an invitation to the school.” Kota looked smug. He **should** be. Yuto never thought he’d want to go to _ **_nerd school_ ** _, of all places._

_“That’s easy,” Yuto said._

 

_And then he took a whole week agonizing over every single idea he’s got and throwing them down the trash._

_“Oh no,” he groaned, banging his head on the wall repeatedly. “I’m done. I’m not a genius. I’m a watered-down ex-inventor.”_

_Kota was laughing at his side, watching him from where he was perched on the desk chair. “You’re being a diva,” he said mildly._

_“Noooo!” Yuto continued dramatically sobbing on the wall. “This is the end for me.”_

_“Yuto,” Kota started, a playful smile on his face. He rushed forward and pushed him hard, sending him toppling to his butt. “Maybe you should look from a different angle,” he said, chuckling and not even sorry that he pushed his little brother to the floor. Rude._

_Yuto was about to complain (very loudly) when he noticed his gears under the table. His magnetic tap-dancing shoes and his drum set that could assemble itself through coded magnetic bearers. Most of the things he used were connected to each other through small magnetised joints he controlled using a remote control on the container._

_If he could use a better controller and if he could isolate the magnetic bearers, then…_

_“Have an idea?” Kota offered him a hand, smiling knowingly down at him._

_“Better than any of yours,” he replied with a grin._

**\- - -**

When he woke up, he saw Yamada staring down at his desk with creased eyebrows and a small frown. Specifically, he was staring down at a black nanobot trapped inside a petridish. It was one of the few things that flew away during the explosion, probably the only one that wasn’t completely damaged. Yuto had placed it inside the petridish to make sure it was safe. It was his way of preserving it, of keeping something alive from the ashes of destruction. He was’t sure if the move was sentimental or self-destructive.

“It’s trying to go somewhere,” Yamada said, biting his lip in thought. He pushed at his glasses and glanced at Yuto. “Look.” He held the petridish up and rotated it left and right. The nanobot kept on going in one specific direction no matter how many times he moved it. “It must mean something, right?”

“Maybe it’s trying to go to the garage,” Yuto shrugged. He didn’t want to go anywhere near the garage, or even _think_ about the place. The wounds were still too fresh.

Yamada shook his head. “The garage is that way.” He pointed the opposite direction. “This little thing is going somewhere else.”

“Maybe it’s broken.”

“Or maybe it’s trying to tell us something.” He had that expression on again. That ‘I-will-do-my-duty’ face. “Let’s follow it.”

Yuto slumped back on the bed and hid his face with the blanket. “Nope,” he said. “I won’t do that.”

“You need to walk outside again, anyway,” Yamada said, in his gentle ‘you-are-my-patient’ voice. “It’s no harm to try.” He stood up and offered his hand, using his other one to pray the blanket off. “Come on.”

His body screamed for the need for the sunlight again, and with that hand offered to him, it felt like the right decision to walk outside. He didn't  _want_ to, but disagreeing would probably give him more trouble than it's worth. Yamada was stubborn and ridiculous and went out of his house after a year of being a shut-in just to feed Yuto food. No one can win against that.

Well, there was nothing to lose. He nodded and took Yamada's hand.

**\- - -**

There were numerous things he could guess was at the end of their little detective work. They could end up in some random place and Yamada would concede that the nanobot was broken. They could find another defective nanobot using the signal from somewhere Yuto might have left it. They might even end up in a waste factory. Those were all possible in his head. He knew this was a futile act.

What he did not expect was for Yamada to put a hand on his mouth, shush him and point to an open window in what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse. The windows were cracked and there was grime on the wall. Despite how dirty it was though, he could hear the distinct sound of whirring. There were machineries inside.

Mind kicking into overdrive, Yuto pushed Yamada aside and tiptoed to the open window, latching on to it and hoisting himself up with ease. Running away from the police all the time gives you skills you won’t otherwise learn, after all. He slid inside and looked around, noticing a huge red sign on the wall. It was a logo he was familiar with, a red phoenix flying in a circle. It was a logo that made Kota grit his teeth in anger the few times they saw it.

It was the logo of a company called Okamoto Tech.

Yuto walked forward, a weight lodging into his stomach as he wondered why his nanobot wanted to come here, or how the nanobot signals even survived the fire.

He was halfway down the ramp when he noticed that no one was following him. “Yamada-kun?” He walked over to the window again and noticed Yamada glaring up with frustration. “Why aren’t you-“

Yamada’s glare intensified. “I can’t _reach_ it,” he hissed, specks of pink coloring his cheeks. “I’m not-“ He frowned and crossed his arms petulantly. Yuto kept on forgetting he was smaller, and probably younger, than him but this was clear proof.

“Here,” he said, unable to keep the amusement off his voice. The heavy weight in his gut was pushed away just a bit by the spectacle that was seeing Yamada try to hoist himself up. The other boy kept on kicking the wall and trying to use his leg to force himself up, which was unhelpful and amateur. Yuto tried not to chuckle. “Don’t squirm,” he said, lifting Yamada with two hands once he stopped jumping unnecessarily. Yamada got hold of the ledge and carefully slid inside. “See? That was easy, wasn’t it?”

“I’m just not used to breaking into abandoned places,” Yamada griped, sticking out his tongue before walking towards the stairs down the ramp.

Yuto watched his back and wondered how much Kota talked about him, to the point that Yamada knew his record for breaking into places.

**\- - -**

_University of Tokyo's Robotics Department was a place you couldn’t forget once you’ve seen it. The whole experience of seeing all these people and their inventions was a life-changing one. Especially for Yuto, who thought before that he was always going to be the smartest one in the room._

_“I need to study here,” Yuto burst out as they walked out of the building, unable to keep it in. He faced his brother, hands flailing at his sides to encompass the entire school. “This is- I’ll go crazy if I don’t get to study here!”_

_Kota had that huge smile, like everything was going according to his plan. “We’ll talk to Sakurai-sensei tomorrow.”_

 

 _Sakurai-sensei, the pioneer behind using magnetic bearers for different mechanical purposes, and Yuto’s idol, was apparently the department head of the Robotics Department. Yuto didn’t understand why Kota didn’t just open with that. Studying under Sakurai Sho would be a_ **_dream come true_ ** _. Of course, after knowing this fact, he was even more serious about trying to get into the university._

_“It’s an invitational-type of department,” Sakurai-sensei explained apologetically. “We don’t accept students just out of the blue.” He cleared his throat and smiled a bit as he took out a flier from the side of his desk. “But lucky for you, there’s a Science Fair a month from now. If you can register something, our board might give you an invitation.”_

_That felt like the best course of action. Kota smiled widely as if he knew exactly what was going on in Yuto’s head. An entrance test would have been boring, but a competition? Now, that’s better. Nerd school might be interesting, after all._

_Yuto and Kota stood up and bowed to Sakurai, thanking him for giving them their time. Sakurai shook his head, saying “We’re always happy to welcome fresh talent like yours. And Kota-kun, you know you’re always welcome to consult.”_

_They walked off with huge, excited smiles on their faces._

 

 _Before they were completely out of the faculty lounge though, they heard Sakurai-sensei raising his voice. “You’re not allowed in here!,” he shouted, slamming the door to his office open and pushing an older man out. “Don’t you_ **_dare_ ** _step into this university again.”_

_The man smirked and raised both hands in a condescending manner, backing off with a chuckle. “Touchy, aren’t we?” He rolled his eyes. “I don’t understand why you’re so against my business plan. You’d benefit from my company’s money! Win-win for all of us!”_

_Sakurai-sensei’s glare was full of hatred. “Okamoto-san, my students are not for sale. So, with all due respect, sir,_ **_get out_ ** _!”_

_When Yuto looked to his side, Kota's expression had as much hatred as Sakurai-sensei had, if not more. It didn’t fit his face. Kota always smiled at everyone and laughed with people. He seldom got angry, and when he did, he was quick to scold them or forgive them. Yuto didn’t think Kota had space in his heart for hatred. But his face then… His face had so much disgust and anger._

_“Let’s go,” Kota said, tugging at his arm. “We don’t want to be seen by that bastard.”_

**\- - -**

It was going as well as how Yuto’s usual breaking-into-abandoned-places expeditions has gone before, until they got into the middle of the factory. There, he saw different machineries that looked basically like a giant 3D printer. On the side of the giant machine was a super computer with the nanobot's dimensions inputed into it. There were nanobots being manufactured here. Nanobots that weren’t even supposed to be _working_ anymore. Or exist outside of the petri dish in Yamada's hands.

“What is this?“ He was about to step forward to check the blue containers at the other side, when he heard a yelp from behind him.

“The petri dish!” Yamada’s eyes were wide as he watched the nanobot in his hand fly off to the other nanobots in production, breaking the petri dish in the process with a loud crash. “Y-Yuto-kun…” He stepped back as a giant shadow loomed over them.

Yuto was about to look when his arm was grabbed and pulled into the other direction. Yamada's grip were firm but he was obviously shaking. Once they were running, he chanced a glance and saw a man clad in a black robe and a scary kabuki mask. He looked huge and strong, being held up by the nanobots that he was most likely controlling through the mask. The neural headband controller must be hidden inside there. He glided towards them with ease, minimizing the distance between them in only a few seconds.

Yamada was being too slow.

Overtaking him, Yuto pulled away from his grasp to speed up, reaching out and holding on to his hand, running much faster than earlier. Yamada got the message and tried to keep up.

“You’re so _slow_!” Yuto turned to the left smoothly, but got held up by Yamada crashing on to a pillar with a thunk. That must have hurt. “Keep up!”

“I’m not-!” Yamada panted, exerting much more effort than he was probably comfortable with. His breathing was labored and sweat trickled down his face. “I’m not used to running yet!” It came out more like a wheeze than a shout.

Oh. Yeah. He was stuck in his home for some reason and hasn’t been using his large muscle groups or exerting himself in this kind of movement. Yuto would be more sympathetic, _if they weren’t being chased by a crazy kabuki mask person_.

“Just- _Faster!_ ” Yuto pulled much harder when he saw the slightly open exit. He breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped out of the warehouse.

 

But the relief was short-lived as he saw the nanobots still creeping forward. In front of them, there was nothing but a dilapidated wooden dock. They must have reached the seaside area. There was nothing else to run but the water. And if Yamada wasn’t good with running, Yuto doubted he even knew how to swim. Besides, the nanobots would still be able to run after them there. They were water-proof and all. Damn it.

“What’re we gonna do?” Yamada looked like he was going to faint any minute now.

“You thought of going here! _You_ think of something!” Yuto shot back, annoyed. He didn’t plan for any of this to happen. He was _so tired_.

More nanobots were creeping out of the factory, and they could see the shadow of the kabuki mask guy getting closer.

“We’re going to _die_ ,” Yuto groaned.

 

But just as he said that, they heard the telltale sound of a motor coming closer and arriving much faster than the nanobots. They looked towards the water to see a motorboat stopping inches away from the dock. Inside it was Kitty on the wheel, and Spider, Architect and Hikaru on the seats around. There were still space for more.

“Get in, losers,” Spider, or Chinen as Yamada called him, offered a hand. Yamada immediately took it and got pulled into a seat. Yuto unceremoniously jumped the distance and plopped beside Yamada.

Kitty shot one look at them, then at the black nanobots reaching out like creepy tendrils towards them, before gunning it out of there. He drove towards the sea where they came from, going faster than was probably legal. “Why are there nanobots chasing after you?!”

Hikaru, who had his eyes trained at the back, shouted “Why is there a man in a Kabuki Mask chasing after you?!” He gasped and then said, “DUDE SHARP RIGHT!”

Kitty did as told, turning the steering wheel quickly but expertly. A bunch of nanobots hit the space they were occupying just seconds ago. Everyone had to hold on so as not to fall off, which was difficult because the water sprayed at them due to the turn. Chinen spluttered out, wiping at his face and looking like he wanted to throw up at the side but was keeping a strong front.

Architect was staring at Yuto with a frown. “What happened?,” he asked in a loud voice, to be heard amidst the shouts of Hikaru and the loud rumbling of the motor.

“I’m not sure!” Yuto was being honest. It was hard to connect anything, and he felt like everything was happening too fast. Too much was being thrown at him, both figuratively and quite literally. He looked back to see another batch of nanobots being flung towards them, which they barely evaded.

“How did you find us?” Yamada asked, eyes wide. He was pale and shaking. Yuto probably looked the same way.

Chinen was the one to answer, bumping towards them as the boat took another sharp turn to escape. “GPS,” he explained in a yell. “I bought you that pair of shoes, remember? Dai-chan told me you left the house with Yuto.”

Yamada gaped at him. “You tracked me down? You put GPS on _my shoes_?!”

“Yeah. Wasn't a big deal before when you weren't leaving your house.” Chinen shrugged, unrepentant. “Saved your lives, now, though.”

“That’s-“ Yamada stopped when a group of nanobots shaped like a hand shook the side of their boat. They held on harder, clinging to any surface they could get their hands on. The enemy was getting more creative with his use of the nanobots. It was only a matter of time before he could find a way to hit them head-on.

“Yuya!” Chinen stepped forward towards Kitty’s side, wobbly and unstable but his hands firm on the railing he held on to. He glared down at the console. “We need to use it now.”

Kitty (Yuya?) looked at him with fear clearly etched in his expression. “It’s- it’s not finished yet.” He reached forward, placing a hand on a small glass cover as if to shield it.

“Tough luck,” Chinen said, reaching forward to swat at his hand. He opened the console to reveal a big red button on it. This was the kind of thing you _didn’t_ want to press. It looked like bad news. (Bombs? Nuclear power? Those kind of things.) But of course, since this was Spider, he just casually poked it with a finger as if it meant nothing. “We need every help we could get.”

“CHINEN!” Yuya looked horrified as he stared at the red button. _Uh-oh_.

At first, there was no change at all. And then, seatbelts appeared beside them and a metal roof started rising from the side to envelop the whole boat. Yuya was the first to strap in, even though he looked like he would rather disagree and jump outside the boat. Everyone else followed soon after. Once they were all strapped in, Chinen clicked the button again.

They didn’t even have any warning before the whole boat sped up to other-wordly levels of speed. Yuto hasn’t even been in a car that went this fast and he's been in _multiple_ car chases in his life. He was sure this kind of thing was only allowed for F1 powerboat racers, with a maximum of two people on board. Then again, they were running for their lives. _Anything_ was allowed.

A few minutes of that passed, the boat being filled with the sound of a motor too loud for their ears and the sound of water slapping on the boat’s side too strongly. Even when they paused and Yuya looked outside, no one was able to speak.

That was, until Yuya said, “I think we lost the Kabuki Mask Person.”

“Woah!” Hikaru slumped down on his seat, head falling on Architect’s shoulder. “That was so _cool_!”

Five pairs of eyes stared at him incredulously.

“I mean!” Hikaru laughed, sitting up and shaking his hands in front of him. “That was so _scary_.” A pause. “But it was really cool, too.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Architect said, rolling his eyes.

“He’s _crazy_ ,” Yuya added in awe. He then looked around, eyes scanning the vast blue all around them. “I don’t know where we are,” he said, hysterical panic rising in his tone. “I don’t know _where_ we _are_!”

Chinen tugged at his side until he was sitting down again. “We have our location right here,” he said calmly, pointing towards the dashboard where a compass and some other equipment were.

“Except,” Yuya said, staring down it. “We don’t have fuel left.” He dropped his head on his hands, groaning in despair. “I _knew_ we shouldn’t have used that! _Chinen_!”

“If we didn’t use it, we might have _died_.” Chinen sounded extremely offended that he was being blamed for  _saving their lives._

“Chii has a point,” Architect said, frowning down at the equipment as well. “But we don’t have any other way to go back home.”

Hikaru was the only one who looked like it wasn’t the end of the world. “We can just call someone to fetch us,” he said brightly, grinning.

Yuya looked up and stared at him in disbelief. “Who would fetch us here in the middle of nowhere? In the middle of _the ocean?_ ”

“Oh, I’m sure Sebastian can get here in a few minutes.” Hikaru shrugged and took out his phone, dialling quickly and speaking on it before anyone could react. “Sebastian? Yeah. Hmm... Wow, how...? You have _me_ on GPS? Aww, that’s sweet. Yep, okay. See ya.” When he hung up, everyone else was looking at him like he had grown another head. “What?”

“Who’s Sebastian?” Architect asked in confusion.

“My butler.”

“Your _what?”_

 _“But-ler_ ,” he repeated slowly, as if the problem was their hearing instead of the impossibility of the situation.

“ _Why_ would you have a butler?,” Yamada asked. He scrunched up his nose and pursed his lips in disbelief.

“God-sama,” Hikaru started, grinning wider when Yamada scowled at the nickname. Yuto would have to ask about these nicknames and why they aren’t using it as much anymore, but there was time for that later. Assuming they survive this. “Why _wouldn’t_ I have a butler?”

The others groaned and slumped down on their seats, unsure what to feel about dying in the middle of nowhere.

**\- - -**

They did survive, though.

Because not only did Hikaru have a butler, he also had a _helicopter_. If what “Sebastian” said was true, he had _more than one_ helicopter.

And he owned an island nearby where his summer vacation house was located.

Hikaru was _flithy rich_. So rich, in fact, that his family was the _main sponsor_ of the Robotics Department.

It was almost as surprising as seeing Yuto’s nanobots be mass produced and used for evil. _Almost._

Speaking of…

“We need to talk about-“ Yuto was about to stop all of them, when Yamada appeared in front and clapped his hands with that sharp look in his eyes that meant he was going to ask them to do something, like how he’s been doing for Yuto this past day.

“We’ll talk _after_ you change your clothes,” he said, in what would actually be categorized as ‘mom voice’. Yuto was pretty sure Kame used that voice on him the last time he was almost caught by the police. “ _All of you_.” He looked sternly at everyone.

“But-“

“No buts!” Yamada crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Yuto. “You’re not well enough yet. You were just recuperating. Having a cold while your immune system is not functioning at its best would worsen it and might give you flu. Do you _want_ to have flu?”

Yuto groaned, pouting. “No, _mom_.”

Yamada’s face turned pink in embarrassment but he refused to answer that. Instead, he looked towards Hikaru and asked, “Do you have spare clothes that would fit them?”

Hikaru nodded and pointed towards a room. “We can change in there.” He walked towards Sebastian and whispered commands, before leading them towards the said room. It was a huge walk-in closet, about four times the size of Yuto's room, with numerous shelves around containing Kamen Rider belts and Super Sentai changers. One rack was filled with Red-themed Sentai costumes. Another corner had human-sized Ultraman figures.

Yuto walked over to the rack containing bug-themed Kamen Rider costumes, admiring the details as he watched everyone’s reflection on a mirror at the side. Yamada was taking out a first aid kit from his bag, doling out medicines on people who needed them. Chinen received a stomach medicine for his seasickness. (Yuto didn’t even notice he was still pale from riding the boat. It really wasn’t obvious. But maybe Yamada was trained at noticing things like that.) Architect got a hot compress for a particularly bad bruise on his arm from where the water had hit him too hard. Yuya received a _lollipop_ for some reason. Hikaru received a pat on the head, which made his expression go wobbly for a second before he went back to grinning again.

Lastly, Yamada went to Yuto’s side and nudged him with an elbow. “You’ve got to change now,” he said. “I told you-“

Yuto nodded and turned away to take some clothes from Hikaru.

**\- - -**

They all ended up sitting on the floor of the ‘Geek Closet’ as Chinen had called the room. As soon as they were settled down, Architect asked what they were doing in that building and who the Kabuki Mask guy was.

Yuto tried to explain as best as he could, sometimes letting Yamada fill in the details he forgot. The more he explained though, the more doubts formed in his head. Laying it all out made things clearer bit by bit, and by the end of his reminiscing, he could give one or two inferences on why the nanobots were safe and who the Kabuki Mask guy was. It was… the thought that formed in his head made his blood boil like nothing before.

It was the first emotion he felt so strongly after the fire.

 _Anger_. It filled him up to the brim.

“I think-“ He stopped, clenched his fists, and tried to breathe easier. “I think it was Okamoto Tech that took the nanobots. And if Ryutaro and my brother saw them, then…”

“Then they were witnesses to a crime,” Chinen finished for him, eyes going cold with contempt. “They could have burned the place down to get anyone off their trail.”

“But-“ Hikaru raised a hand and used the other to take his phone out of his pocket. He typed down a few words then showed everyone the screen. On it was an article about Okamoto Kenichi being hospitalized in America, and about how his son, a boy as young as Yuto, was going to be assigned president this weekend. “Kenichi, he-“ There was the same level of disgust Kota used every time he used that name. “He’s not even in Japan right now.”

“The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree, though, does it?” Architect asked in a wondering voice. “He’s going to be president so young. I’d think he would do anything to unveil a new, business-altering project.”

Just the _thought_ of his brother’s death being nothing but a diversion, but a quick box to fill in a checklist of things to do for this guy’s company, made Yuto want to punch something. Maybe set fire to something. Set fire to _someone_.

“The Father Issues origin story has always been reliable and popular,” Hikaru mused back. “It’s the type of thing that creates a villain.”

Yuto watched all of them in their Super Sentai-themed pajamas and their grim faces as they thought of the Okamotos. What he saw was a bunch of people who cared deeply about his brother, who was as angry as he was about this idea, who would do anything to get justice for Kota and Ryutaro.

“When a villain is born, a hero should be, too, right?,” he asked the room at large.

“Right!” Hikaru answered, and then stopped with a suspicious look on his face. “Wait, what?”

“I’m just saying,” he started, looking at each of them in the eye. “I know all about the nanobots. Spider has athletic skill and props that are pretty much a superhero arsenal.” He looked at Chinen to see his expression turn thoughtful. He turned to Yuya. “I’m not even sure what Kitty did to that motorboat but it _was_ cool. And it saved all of our lives.

“Architect knows more about chemistry than I do, and if I heard right, your experiments are _the bomb_.” He smiled at the memory.

Hikaru nodded enthusiastically and added, “Sometimes literally!”

"And," Yuto continued. “Hikaru, you’ve always wanted to be a real life hero, right?”

He nodded again with a huge excited smile.

“And Yamada-kun,” he said. “You’re more than enough help for in-field injuries and you can direct us using comms like what you did with Baymax.”

“Yuto-kun…” Yamada looked hesitant. “That’s-“

“We can do this,” he interjected firmly. “For Baby, and for my brother.”

That sentence silenced them up. A few seconds later, they all agreed it was worth a shot.

 

(“Can you hear that guys?,” Hikaru asked, once the silence had settled over them. He looked around, a faux-serious expression on his face. “That’s our origin story.”)

**\- - -**

By the time everyone was asleep in their own rooms (because there was enough room for all of them to choose one for their own), Yuto was itching to design things for all of them. He took out the pile of paper that Sebastian gave him earlier and went to the balcony to start working. There was a loveseat there and a small rounded table.

He started out with a universal suit design, deciding to add changes to individualize them later. He’d use carbon fiber for the main suit but ask Architect for help finding a stronger additional shield for the chest and the helmets. He’d color-code them, because that’s what Hikaru would want.

Deep in thought, he didn’t even notice the door to the balcony opening until a weight was dropping on his side.

He looked down to see Yamada slumped on his shoulder, eyelids shut.

“Don’t tell me you’re drunk again,” he whispered in disbelief.

“M’not,” Yamada said, yawning. “M’sleepy.” He reached an arm around until he had it perched comfortably on Yuto’s shoulders, his head nuzzling closer.

“What are you doing?” Yuto asked, eyes wide. He really wasn’t sure why Yamada was here. Like how he wasn’t sure why Yamada got out of his house or seemed to take the duty of taking care of him too seriously.

“Yawning catches,” he said in explanation, yawning once again. Seeing him do that and hearing him say that did make Yuto want to yawn. He stomped on the impulse. “ _Yawning_ ,” he repeated, smiling a bit. “-Catches. You’ll get sleepy if I cuddle next to you.”

“That doesn’t sound scientific,” Yuto said, still staring at Yamada’s head on his shoulder. “Doctors shouldn’t believe myths.” _Was Yamada a doctor?_ “Are you a doctor?”

Yamada nodded slowly, his hair tickling Yuto’s neck. “Yeah. Assigned to the pediatric ward, remember? And then-” He stopped, eyebrows furrowing as if he was hit by something. His muscles were stiff for a second, before he took a deep breath and sighed. He relaxed on Yuto's shoulder, burrowing closer. “Getting my PhD on Biomedical engineering this year.”

Yuto gaped. “You-“ He stopped, the surprise still making him speechless despite the _many_ surprises today. “I thought my brother was joking when he said you were smarter than me.”

“ _Not_ smarter,” Yamada complained, not even bothering to open his eyes. “Different field. Can’t even reach the window.”

“That doesn’t have _anything_ to do with intelligence,” Yuto said, amused. He suspected Yamada was more or less sleeptalking now.

“Just sleep already,” Yamada moaned, squeezing his shoulder once. “Early day tomorrow.”

**\- - -**

Breakfast started quietly and somber, but Yuto did get answers in regards to the nicknames.

“You aren’t using your nicknames anymore?,” he asked, eyeing Hikaru as he chewed on the pancakes. Sebastian was a good cook. “When did you-“ He stopped at the look on their faces, noticing the bitter expression of mourning. People often say you needed to change something in yourself whenever you lose someone. “ _Oh_.”

“It didn’t feel right,” was Architect’s explanation. “My name’s Inoo, by the way. We- It just felt right to drop the names.”

Yuto could see what they meant. The nicknames were so filled with memories from Kota that dropping them and keeping them hidden inside a box in his head felt better. It was like keeping that nanobot safely tucked away in his petri dish before.

Hikaru, noticing the shift in mood, smiled brightly and poked Yuto's arm. "Do you know why I gave Yama-chan the 'God-sama' nickname?"

Yamada groaned and shook his head at Yuto, as if telling him to not ask.

Yuto asked. _Of course_.

"It's because he sometimes used the speaker in the department when he wanted to call one of us," Hikaru shared, leaning closer conspiratorially. "It was like a call from god!"

Yamada pouted and crossed his arms moodily. "It's not my fault you guys forget where you leave your phone," he objected.

"Well, when you're studying-"

“I think,” Chinen interjected, eyeing Hikaru with narrowed eyes. "I think we should use the nicknames as our codenames."

"Like superhero names?," Hikaru asked, completely throwing away the other conversation in lieu of more important matters. "That's a great idea!"

Yuto watched as Yamada sighed in relief and smiled at Chinen thankfully.

And then watched as Yuya shook his head repeatedly with a horrified expression. “No,” he said in emphasis, squinting at Chinen.

"Oh?" Chinen just smiled sweetly back at him.

Yuto had a distinct feeling they’ll be using the nicknames.

**\- - -**

They spent a huge chunk of the morning talking about their suits, and building said suits. With the help of a world-renowned car expert (Yuya), a physics prodigy (Chinen), and a double-PhD chemist (Inoo), they were able to make everything quickly. Hikaru got them everything they needed, and even helped in designing the suits. (It was the first time they heard of Hikaru’s course in the university. Apparently, he was a fine arts major who just really liked hanging out in the other side of the campus.)

More or less twelve hours later, they were all suited up.

Chinen was the first one to show off. He was wearing a yellow suit with a yellow-and-violet helmet. His wrists had a mechanism that could eject the sticky rope he used in his prototype gun (in true spiderman fashion), and his feet had the same attachments as the jumping shoes he used before. Sebastian, wearing a Kabuki Mask, stood in the middle and wasn’t able to do anything when Chinen jumped around him and tied him to the floor.

Takaki was next with his wheeled feet and his rocket boosters. As he requested, his suit was black and shiny like his favorite sports car. He moved much faster than any normal human being and he easily took down Sebastian by stealing the mask. His control of the wheel and his agility was perfect for quick and synchronized attacks.

Inoo’s weapon was the best equipment Yuto has ever helped make. It was a pink chemical-lab bag, with polyethylene balls strapped on it that will be filled with different chemicals according to what Inoo would input in the Periodic Table screen at the side. With Architect’s quick thinking, he was able to produce balls filled with chemical solutions that can cushion, freeze or make smokescreens and hardened blobs. It was the most diverse of all their weapons, both being defensive and offensive. Yuto would have been worried about putting it in Inoo's hands, given his initial impression of the man (‘Mad Scientist’ was the words in his head then, if he remembered correctly), but Inoo was actually the smartest out of all of them as Chinen pointed out proudly.

Hikaru was the hardest to give a weapon to. He was excitable and looked like he might make something explode just for the fun of it. In the end, Yuto went with the easiest route. Two laser swords and, of course, a red suit. ("The red is the leader so I should be red!," Hikaru had proudly proclaimed. Some of them just stared at him. Chinen patted him on the back and said, "Of course you are, Hikari-chan. Do you have more of these materials? Maybe you can send them to my house.")

“ _Laser swords_ , Yuto? _Star Wars?_ ” Hikaru gasped, eyeing the two poles in distrust. “What kind of unpatriotic-“ He stopped when Yuto activated the swords. “Oooh! That is _so cool_.”

They decided to keep Hikaru in a position away from any other member. (Very, very far away.)

Yuto humbly put on his blue suit, equipped with his hover shoes (a variant of his tap dance magnetic shoes) and his drum sticks. The two has been reinforced with metal made from Inoo’s chemicals and, as such, were now much more stronger. The sticks were basically large blunt objects that could be used to bash someone in the head. Crude, but effective. Besides, the weight of them in his hands felt comfortable. He could use them with ease.

Yamada was the last one to present, mostly because he was busy giving bandaids and checking if anyone has been hurt. His was the simplest one, because Yuto did not want him anywhere near the fight. But also, because he was _useless_ in the frontline. He was a healer, not a fighter. Yamada was given a green suit with a jetpack for him to fly around, and away from, the fight. His glasses were upgraded by giving it night vision and sensors that were similar to Baymax’ scanning lens. His helmet was the communication center, so he could listen to everyone and relay messages easily while surveying the fight from above.

 

After, they all stood in a line, glancing at each other and their suits.

“This is _sick_!” Hikaru whispered in awe. Everyone but Yamada nodded with smiles on their faces.

“Sick? Who is?,” Yamada asked, confusion obvious in his voice and in the way he was frowning. (Inoo and Chinen were cooing at the side; Yuto could hear.)

Yuto couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled out of him. He placed an arm around Yamada’s shoulders and explained, “It’s just an expression. It means _beyond awesome_.”

A soft blush of embarrassment appeared on Yamada’s face as he nodded in understanding.

**\- - -**

The next step was to find a way to locate KMG (Kabuki Mask Guy, as Hikaru had started calling him).

While everyone was off training, Yamada and Yuto stayed inside the house and tried to search for any signal that could be helpful: sightings of a crazy Kabuki Mask-wearing weirdo, or maybe nanobot signals they have not seen yet. A few hours of searching showed them nothing.

As was the trend with them and needing help, Chinen appeared just when they were ready to give up. He sat down in front of them and placed a plate of cookies and a box of milk on the table. When he spoke, it wasn’t anywhere near the usual sassy or playful. Instead, he sounded serious and grave. “I’m thinking of searching for Coco’s signal,” he said, chewing on his lip. “They might have taken him too.”

Coco was Ryutaro’s project. She was a realistic-looking dog robot with built in speakers, multilingual translators, a video camera, GPS and maps, and a waterproof/fireproof storage memory. She was going to be released as a helpful toy for children, a fun video camera for adults and a security system for the government. Coco was the first one in a line of them. She looked like a small harmless dog, unlike the initially planned police dog designs. Ryutaro was just about to sign with the government when the fire took place.

“Why would they take-“ Yuto cut himself off when realization kicked in. “The storage system would have survived the fire! And if they can’t dispose of it, they can very well try to figure out how it worked and make a similar one. Coco would cost _millions_.”

“Yeah. And out of everything we have, Coco was the one who's been publicized already. It's another target.” Chinen nodded to himself, expression hardening. “It sounds like something Okamoto Tech would want for themselves, too.” His eyes had a glint to them, an expression that made Yuto shiver in fear. He once thought that under those cute smiles was the scariest person in the group, and as he watched Chinen glare out the window, he thought maybe he that was the truth.

**\- - -**

Chinen was right, to the surprise of no one at all.

Coco still had a faint signal. When they sought it out, their map showed an empty piece of land. Hikaru did some digging with his connections, and found out it was Okamoto Tech’s old laboratory.

Yuto felt the anger burn brighter at the confirmation.

**\- - -**

“Why do you like high places?”

Yuto was lying on the roof, staring at the night sky and thinking about their plan for tomorrow, when Yamada’s head poked out of the window below. He had the expression of someone who thought climbing up the roof was dangerous and bad for anyone. It was a familiar look, one that had graced Kame's and Kota's face multiple times before.

“Why do you keep finding me?,” Yuto retorted, turning back.

“You’re my responsibility,” Yamada answered easily, climbing up the roof in shaky legs. Yuto couldn’t help but reach out a hand to steady him. He wasn’t sure why Yamada thought he could take care of Yuto, when he couldn’t even climb up the roof without shaking.

“Aren’t you younger than me?," Yuto asked incredulously.

Yamada settled on his side, looking skywards instead of at Yuto. “I’m a year older,” he said, almost smugly.

“You’re _short_.”

“You’re being _rude_ to an elder.”

“I'm just saying facts.”

“Well, you’re-“ Yamada groaned, as if realizing how childish it would be to reply to that. He sighed. "Anyway, I owe you. So you're my responsibility."

Yuto blinked, confused. "You owe me?" If anything,  _he_ owed Yamada. For  _everything_. Not the almost-dying, obviously, but the  _fussing_ and the  _cuddling_. Yamada was the reason they were here, instead of both stuck inside their own rooms. Yamada took that first step forward for both of them.

Yamada shrugged, choosing not to answer that. Yuto let him.

They watched the stars in silence.

**\- - -**

“Are you nervous? About tomorrow?,” Yamada asked. He was preparing to move back inside, sitting up and rubbing his arms as he waited for the answer.

“Not really,” he answered nonchalantly. Rather than nervous, he cannot _wait_ to find whoever started the fire. He cannot wait to confront him. ~~(To hurt him. To throw him to the fire like how he did with his brother.)~~

Yamada watched his expression, and must have seen something there, because he reached out and placed a hand on Yuto’s. “Be careful,” he said softly, tone suggesting so much more than he was saying. He squeezed once, before letting go. “You have to be careful, okay?”

 

* * *

 

_**Bargaining** _

_"We become lost in a maze of 'if only...' and 'what if...' statements. We want what we lost returned, in any way possible."_

**\- - -**

_ “I’m going home,” Baby said, yawning and stretching his arms up. _

_ “Do you want me to-“ Kitty was already standing up, keys in his hand. He was the group’s driver all the time, and he was always glad to offer. Yuto thought it was nice of him, but Kota told him it was mostly because Kitty loved driving his car and showing off the improvements he make on them. ("He takes care of his cars the same way he takes care of his hair; meticulously and over-the-top.")_

_ “Nah.” Baby shook his head, waving a hand dismissively. “I’ll just get Coco and be out of your hair.” He walked down the stairs. Moments later, they heard the sound of the bell on the cafe’s door, signalling it opening and closing once. _

_ “Not sure why Baby is so tired,” Spider narrowed his eyes at the stairs suspiciously. “He doesn’t even help in any kind of productive way.” _

_ “Coco is a huge help, though,” Yuto said, raising an eyebrow. “More than your version of help, anyway.” _

_ Spider scoffed. “I’m delightful company. That’s a huge help for your morale.” _

_ “And Spider is entertaining,” Architect added fondly, patting Spider on the head. “Like that time he tied Hikaru on the roof. Very helpful.” _

_ Hikaru pouted. “Hey!” _

_ “Uh, guys,” Kota stood up, smiling awkwardly as he walked to the side and waved both hands to get their attention. “I’ll tidy down there first. You can finish eating here. Maybe watch a movie to rest?” _

_ Yuto blinked and slowly nodded. “Sure? You don’t want help?” _

_ Kota chuckled, shaking his head. “I’ll be fine. I’m an expert at cleaning up after you.” He grinned as he walked down the stairs. _

_ Yuto stuck out a tongue at his back. “Whatever. We’ll watch the new Pirates of the Carribean movie without you.” _

_ It was about half an hour later, while preparing the DVD, that they noticed the smoke coming from the garage. _

** \- - - **

It was 8 a.m. when they arrived at the island, largely because they were all itching to go as soon as they woke up and everyone was quick to suit up. The island was small, or at least smaller than Hikaru’s, and had [Beware: Toxic] posters plastered all over the place.

Yamada eyed the posters with clear worry, and Yuto was scared he was going to tell them all to go home, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he glanced at Yuto with a meaningful look before walking forward ahead any of them.

Yuto thought of his words, the _Be careful_ , and wondered what he had in mind when he said that.

**\- - -**

The entrance on the side of the building lead them to a metal tunnel that made their signal-detector malfunction, giving them a hard time to find exactly where Coco was.

“This is…” Yuya was holding on to Chinen’s sleeves, eyes darting around the dark tunnel as they walked forward. “This is _creepy_.”

Hikaru laughed, patting him on the back. “Did you mean _cool_?”

“You’re crazy,” Yuya told him with a grimace.

Inoo stopped them with a raised hand, moving over to the wall and tapping on it. He leaned closer and placed his ear against it, closing his eyes. “Here?”

Yuto strained his ears and heard the telltale sound of whirring he heard in the warehouse before. “Yeah, that’s it.”

“Stand back then,” Hikaru took out his poles dramatically and motioned for them to stand back. They all did, jumping at least 2 meters away from the wall in fear of getting caught in those laser swords. “BOOM,” he shouted, clicking on the switch. And then, “Hi- _ya_! Zoooom!” He sliced the wall into pieces, giving them a considerable space to walk through. “I’m _awesome_.”

“You are,” Inoo agreed with a fond smile.

The other side of the wall was a broken-down monitor room, filled with computers and control boards, and surrounded by a shattered glass wall overlooking what seemed to be a huge invention in the middle of a larger room. The invention was composed of two metal circles standing side-by-side, big enough for a truck to pass through, connected with numerous wires and cables.

“Hey, there’s-“ Chinen stopped, eyes wide, as he looked down at the screen. It was paused on some video. The screen showed the metal circles glowing like some sci-fi portal, and one person was standing beside it. “Oh no,” he gasped.

Yuto followed his gaze, frowning at the video. He leaned closer and clicked play.

 

_The video showed a boy who looked younger than any of them, wearing a white hazmat suit. He put on his helmet and sat down on a capsule, smiling and showing a thumbs up at the camera. He looked so happy and proud. Kenichi appeared on screen, leading a group of businessmen towards the monitor room. “Here,” he said. “You will see fiction turn into reality.”_

_A middle-aged man wearing a lab coat raised his hand, pointed towards one of the screens and said, “The numbers are fluctuating, Okamoto-san. I think we should-”_

_Kenichi raised an eyebrow and looked at the screen. He shrugged. “Negligible. Continue.”_

_The man frowned with obvious worry, but did as told. "Commencing transportation. 3, 2, 1... Launch."_

_At first, it was going well, the capsule was launched inside the first portal, and the levels remained stable. But then, an electrical surge racked the place, and the portal glowed brighter, slowly sucking everything around it: the other people on the platform, the giant glass wall, the clipboards from the people in the monitor room… **Everything** was being sucked in._

_“Emergency!” The people in lab coats were clicking and switching things off, to no avail._

_“Shut the power down!,” Kenichi shouted, and then, when no one did, he went forward and unplugged the power himself._

_“No!” someone off-screen shouted._

 

BANG!

They all looked up in time to see a boulder being flung towards them. Luckily, Yuya was trained enough to use his rocket booster to blow the rock up into smaller pieces. They ducked down to avoid most of it.

When they looked up again, they saw KMG towering above them, standing on thousands of nanobots.

Yuto felt the flare of anger burn inside him, urging him to move as they practiced. One look around and he could see the same determined expressions on everyone’s faces. Yamada flew above all of them, out of KMG’s reach. Yuya glided faster than any of them and positioned himself behind him. Hikaru ran head-on, slashing as he went. Inoo waited behind everyone, muttering to himself and staring down at his bag. Chinen was still standing in the same spot, eyeing the whole scene with a discerning look.

“Just like we trained for, guys!” Yamada said through the comms. “Attack simultaneously!”

**\- - -**

Yuto didn’t know how it went so wrong. He didn’t know where their training went, where their earlier confidence disappeared to.

Inoo was bad under pressure, mixing up chemicals perfectly but not knowing how to throw them or where to. On more than one occasion, he hit Hikaru and Yuya instead of hitting the enemy.

Takaki could not multi-task, wanting to do one thing but getting distracted, thus being open to attacks from all directions. He fell down more often than he was able to attack.

Hikaru was all enthusiasm and quick slashes, but knew no strategy. KMG easily kept him to the wall by pinning him with a handful of nanobots when his laser swords fell.

Chinen was… Chinen was supposed to be the best fighter, but he was slow and did not utilize his rope to damage. He looked like he was thinking too much, and was not able to even graze KMG.

Yamada worried too much about their injuries and wasn’t able to direct any of them for synchronized attacks.

 

It was all down to Yuto in the end.

This was _his_ revenge, after all. They were as much help as they could be, but they didn’t quite feel the same urge to burn down every piece of this person. They didn’t have the urge to put their hands on his neck and _squeeze_. They wanted _justice_ , but that was objective reasoning. No. Yuto did not need _objective_. What he needed, at the end of the day, was for this person to _pay_ for what he did. An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth;  _a life for a life._

Fuelled by these feelings, he sneaked up on KMG while Chinen had his attention, and put all his strength on hitting his mask with one of his sticks.

The force was so strong that KMG fell down the floor in a heap, the nanobots shaking beside him but forming nothing. His mask fell down the side, cracked into two.

“You-!” He strode forward, kicking at the mask and pulling KMG’s shoulder, expecting to see Okamoto Kenichi or Okamoto Keito…

Only to reveal-

“ _Ryutaro?_ ” Yuto felt everything stop, his hands falling limp down his side as he watched their friend, their _presumed dead_ friend, crawl away with wide eyes. His robe fell open to reveal an armor inside, one that made him bigger and less like the Baby they knew. “Why-“ Ryutaro looked to the side, around the floor, searching for the mask in panic. “Why are you _alive?_ You’re supposed to be dead!” _You’re supposed to be dead like my brother!_

“I-“ Ryutaro inched away, fear clear in his eyes. “I’m not-“

“You were there! Your DNA was found with his!” Yuto stepped closer, clenched hands raising towards him.

“I _faked_ it,” Ryutaro sneered, still backing off. “Obviously, I’m alive.” He looked away with a frown on his lips.

“You-!” Yuto did not know where he got the strength, but the next moment, he had his hands on Ryutaro’s neck, his whole body slamming towards him until he was straddling the boy's stomach, hands squeezing _squeezing squeezing as hard as he can_. “You could have _saved_ him! We thought you were dead but all along-“ His nails were drawing blood. (Warm, red liquid proving he was _alive_ and not  _burned down_ like his brother was.) Ryutaro’s face was getting paler, his struggles getting weaker. “You _killed_ him!”

_You should have died instead of him._

_You’re the reason I lost my brother._

**_Bring!_ **

**_Him!_ **

**_Back!_ **

 

He felt a hand pulling at him, a familiar weight on his arm. He didn’t need to look to know it was Yamada.

Yuto did not have time for his logic, or his _healthy coping strategies_.  No. What he needed was Ryutaro’s blood in his hands. He needed _revenge_.

“Yuto! Stop it!”

Yuto flung one of his arms away, sending Yamada toppling over to the side. He vaguely heard a crack, Yamada’s head hitting the metal floor.

“ _YUTO!_ ” This time, it was Chinen’s voice, equal parts horrified and and angry.

He didn’t even see it coming. The next thing he knew, his arms were bound on either side of him, and his whole body was bound on the wall.

“Let me go!” He growled, struggling against the bonds. “ _He_ killed my brother! He _needs to die!”_ He clicked a button on his drumstick, releasing a small blade jutting on top of it. Angling the stick, he used it to slice through the ropes. As soon as he was out of it, though, Inoo threw one of his chemical balls down his leg, the chemicals bursting out and hardening around him. He was stuck. “LET! ME! GO!”

Chinen looked at him with a stern face, hands raised towards him as if he was ready to shoot any time. Inoo had a much softer expression, fraught with worry and concern. Hikaru was just behind him, looking scared more than anything. Yuya was crouched on the floor, holding Yamada’s motionless form.

They all looked like _he_ was the one at fault.

He wasn't. It was all-

He looked around in panic, searching frantically, only to see Ryutaro flying out of the open roof.

“You let him _get away_!” He wanted to lash out more, to shake them, to make them see that he _needed_ to do this.

Chinen looked down, hands clenching into fists as they fell down at his side. “We never agreed to _killing_.”

“So what am I supposed to do?! _Hug_ that _killer_?!” He used his drum sticks to slice at the hardened chemicals on his feet. “Forgive him? You don’t _understand_.” He knew there were tears falling down his eyes continuously, and there was more blood in his hands, Ryutaro’s mixing in with his own. Soon enough, he was able to get his feet out of it, and with one final look towards them, he jumped off towards the roof and away from the island.

 

* * *

_**Depression** _

" _We withdraw from life, left in a fog of intense sadness, wondering perhaps if there is any point to going on alone? Why go on at all?_ "

**\- - -**

Yuto ended up sitting in his usual quiet place, on a hidden grove on top of the Tokyo Sky Tree.

Now that he was alone, he could focus on what happened; on what he did, on the blood on his hands and the phantom feel of a hand pressed on his arm to stop him. With all the anger sapped out of him, with the desperation leaving his body in increments, a sadness not quite anything he'd ever felt before settled on his heart. It was a heavy weight, the reality of the situation and the helplessness he felt combining into one huge ball of negative emotion.

The grief came back tenfolds.

Not only was Kota dead. He was also dead because of a  _friend_ they cherished, because of someone who wanted to steal something from  _Yuto_. Kota did not have to die. Yuto should have. Ryutaro should have.  _Anyone else_ was a better choice than him. Kota signified everything that was good in the world, kindness and warmth and dreams. Kota was  _good_. Not like Yuto.

And with that thought came the "there's no point" ideas.

He didn't know how to move on from here. He didn't know how to live in a world where he knew his brother was dead, and that he was  _murdered_.

Standing here, on top of the highest structure in all of Japan, he could see all these little people moving on with their lives. Everything was moving. The lights were still sparkling. The traffic has not stopped. The trains continued their journey.

But Yuto was on a standstill, standing there with this heavy weight in his heart. It would be very easy...  _very_ easy to just let go. To just tip over the edge and turn off his hover shoes. He could just-

As soon as he stepped one foot closer to the edge, he saw on his periphery a figure getting closer. A green blur zooming towards him.

"Don't!" Yamada stopped mere inches from him, hands outstretched in front and his eyes bright with panic. His silver hair had pigments of red from his fall, and his glasses was cracked at the side. His expression was... He wasn't  _angry_ (though he probably should be). He looked scared, eyes wide and worried. His hands were shaking. " _Please_ don't do this." His voice had an edge of desperation to it. There were unshed tears in his eyes. "You- don't jump. _Please._ "

Yuto stepped back instinctively, away from Yamada and away from the danger of falling. (He has been listening to Yamada for the past days, and it was hard to disobey him now. _Pavlovian_ , he thought wryly.) "I wasn't-" He _was_ , though. He didn't know what else to do, and he was about to give up. He knew that, and couldn't deny it.

Yamada reached forward, flying closer until he could place his feet on the floor. He gently pushed Yuto further away from the edge, then pulled Yuto's hands towards him, cradling his knuckles with care. He stared down at the blood, at the bruised tips of his fingers. "I told you to be careful," he said quietly, still staring down at Yuto's hands. "I- I didn't know how to help. I just didn't want to see you do that."

"I could have killed him," Yuto said, just as quietly. "I was ready to."

"And would that have helped?," Yamada asked, looking him in the eyes now. "Would that have stopped you from hurting?"

Yuto nodded. Then shook his head. "I- I don't know what would help me," he answered truthfully, gulping. The weight in his stomach was still there, as was the lump in his throat. He felt worse than he'd ever felt in his life. How does one heal from something like this?

Yamada watched his expression for a few seconds, before leaning forward to envelop him in a hug that felt familiar by now. "Sshhh..." He rubbed his hand on Yuto's back, propping his chin on Yuto's shoulder as he whispered into his ear. "We're going to figure it out. Everyone's so worried about you, and they're... They want to help, okay? I want to help, too. We all want to help you. You've got  _us_." He sighed, tightening his hold. "We'll figure something out, together."

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, Yuto letting his body slump forward and his head to rest on Yamada's. When the tears started coming, Yuto held on tighter and Yamada kept soothing him through his sobs.

**\- - -**

After that, they sat on the floor with their backs to the tower, looking up at the peaceful sky or down at the busy city.

"You asked me why I liked high places."

Yamada glanced at him and nodded his head in affirmation.

"My brother, he- He helped me make my own hoverboard and we made one for each of us. And then we flew high, higher than I've ever been before." He could almost smile at the image of it. He was 12 then, and Kota was 14. Yuto has just finished high school, while Kota was on his last year. "And we sat on the roof of the cafe, watching people pass by until it was dark. Being up high reminds me of what my brother used to tell me." He had almost forgotten it, in the fit of anger and sadness he was drowning in, but the little light that Yamada brought into the situation made him remember. "You just need to change the way you look at things sometimes, try to see things from a different angle, and you'll realize that you might not have considered all possibilities yet. The choices are  _endless_. People are complicated like that. _Life_ is complicated like that."

It made him wonder then, what he could see if he looked at this situation from another side.

As if reading his mind, Yamada said, "You're going to try seeing...?"

Yuto shrugged. Here, it was easy to say anything, but down there? Up close with other people? He wasn't sure he could promise anything.

"How about this," Yamada said, raising a fist towards Yuto. "I promise to keep you on your feet, to hold you back when it's too much. And you promise me you'll try."

"...What's that?" Yuto motioned towards the fist, blinking in confusion.

"Fistbump."

"Yamada-kun," Yuto said, almost laughing for the first time since the clusterfuck happened. "That's not how you seal a promise."

Yamada pouted, face scrunching up. "Well," he said. "I'm improvising."

Yuto chuckled this time, a tiny weight lifting from him. Maybe Yamada can keep him from going over the edge, can hold him up before he could drown from everything. "Okay," he agreed, bumping his fist on Yamada. "Okay. I promise."

\- - -

"YUTO!"

As soon as Yuto opened the door to the cafe, he was assaulted on all sides by a bunch of hugs from everyone. Chinen, Yuya, Inoo, Hikaru, and even Uncle and Daiki were there. He let them have it, knew now that they needed it as much as he did. Soon enough, they stepped back and looked him over, inspecting him for more injuries.

"I'm sorry," Chinen was the first to speak. "Ryu got away, and that was... that was my fault." Yuto started shaking his head, but Chinen continued. "I- when I saw the video, I was shaken by it and... And I had a hunch, that maybe the masked man wasn't Okamoto at all. Because of that hunch, I wasn't able to..." He looked down, shame coloring his expression. "I didn't fight as hard as I should have, and you ended up..." He waved his hand as if to motion to everything that happened. "It was a miscalculation on my part."

Yuto placed a hand on Chinen's head, ruffling his hair. There were a million things he could say to that. "Thank you for stopping me," he said instead. That was what mattered, now.

Inoo stepped forward then, holding out a laptop with the video they saw in the monitor room earlier. "I-  _all of us_ were shaken by the video," he said, pulling at Yuto's hand to make him sit in one of the cafe chairs and placing the laptop in front of him on the table. "We knew who this was, that's why we were...  _off_." He clicked play and inclined the screen towards Yuto.

 

_"No!" Someone off screen was shouting. "No! You can't- If you stop it, he'll-" Suddenly, a younger Ryutaro came on screen, probably 13 or 14 at the time. "Shintaro's still inside! My brother's-"_

_Kenichi glanced at him with a hard look on his face, calculating and emotionless. "It was an accident," he said, like that was a comfort. "Your brother died for the progress of your research."_

_"He's not **dead**!" Ryutaro growled, clawing towards Kenichi despite men larger than him pushing him back. "You closed off the- LET! ME! GO!"_

 

The video ended there, but the image was seared into his eyelids. Ryutaro looked... Ryutaro looked like he could  _kill_ Kenichi, like he was ready to do it, the same way Yuto was. It was disconcerting to see that expression on someone else. And it was more heartbreaking, that it had to be on someone so young. ( _On their **baby**_ , he thought with some bitterness.)

"Ryutaro was the youngest student admitted in our university," Inoo explained quietly, eyes shining with unshed tears as he stared down at the black screen of the laptop. "He was in a slump for a long time, because of what happened to his brother. His research was... He used to win awards for his thesis on multi-dimensional travel. But-" He shrugged. "Yeah, that ended with Okamoto burying the incident of his brother's death, and with his research stolen by Okamoto Tech."

"What-" Yuto swallowed, knowing the lump in his throat was not going away any time soon. He still felt the deep-rooted sadness, even though he was feeling confused now, too. "What does that have to do with my nanobots?"  _About my brother's death?_

Hikaru sat on his other side, placing a familiar dog robot in front of him. "Coco was left behind in that place. The videos are still..." He clicked a button and the SD card ejected. He then pushed it towards the laptop and clicked around, searching for the right video. Once again, the laptop screen was turned towards him and a video played.

 

_On the screen was Kota and Ryutaro, with Ryutaro crying on the floor and Kota crouching beside him with a hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure something out," he said. "You can't give up. We'll get him back."_

_"I can't recreate the portal, Kota." Ryutaro sobbed, hunching his shoulders. "I can't-"_

_"You're not going to give up, okay?" Kota raised a hand to ruffle his hair, smiling that no eyes smile of his. "We're going to work hard together, and we'll find a way. I have a little brother too, you know? And I'll do anything for him too."  
_

 

The video cut off there. This explained why Kota had that angry expression whenever he heard or saw Okamoto Kenichi, but it didn't explain why the fire even happened. Or what his nanobots had to do with everything.

Hikaru clicked on another video.

 

_This time, the camera was focused on the floor, but they could hear footsteps and rustling around. Ryutaro appeared, taking Coco in his arm. He had the nanobot controller on his other hand, and a handful of the nanobots in a small pouch._

_The door suddenly opened. The way the camera was angled, they couldn't see who was coming in, but Yuto could recognize those shoes from anywhere. Kame had bought matching ones for the four of them when Yuto graduated high school four years early. "Baby?," he asked, tone quiet and tentative. "What are you doing?"_

_"Kou-chan, I-" He walked forward, his steps loud on the concrete floor. "You know I don't have any other choice."_

_"That's my **brother's,** " he said disapprovingly. "You can't just steal-"  
_

_"They're doing something, okay? The Okamoto Tech people. They're building some sort of building for Kenichi. And I just- they **killed** my brother, Kota. They- They don't even  **remember** him anymore."_

_"So, what? You're going to use the nanobots to stop them?" Kota inched closer, feet a few inches away from Ryutaro's. "That wouldn't help anyone."_

_"It'd make them remember," Ryutaro snarled, stepping to the side and towards the door. "I'd use the nanobots to recreate the portal, Kota. It's too late to get Shin, but this way, this way..." His voice was reaching hysterical levels. "He won't be alone." He tried to inch forward, but Kota put a hand on his arm, pulling him back._

_"You can't do that, Ryu." Kota had that understanding tone on. "That wouldn't solve anything."_

_"Then what will?!" Ryutaro asked, full of anger and hatred. "Everyone's forgotten about Shin. No one cares anymore, and I- I can't let that happen. I'm sorry." He pushed Kota off forcefully, sending him towards the boxes of chemicals on the other side of the garage. Ryutaro ran off just as a crash was heard._

 

That was... Yuto felt a surge of pain again. His brother was... his brother was trying to stop Ryutaro from doing exactly what Yuto wanted to do. He wanted nothing but to stop Ryutaro from his plans. His voice showed understanding and warmth, and Yuto could imagine him saying those exact words to him.  _You can't do that, Yuto. That wouldn't solve anything._

He stood up in a daze, walking towards the door to the stairs, and trudging up to his room without stopping.

**\- - -**

"I don't know what to do," Yuto said as soon as he saw the door open. Yamada stepped inside, head tilted towards the floor. "If- if my big brother was still here, he would have known what to do. He wouldn't- he wouldn't just try to kill a 17 years old kid. He'd have done so much better."

Yamada, as was expected at this point, walked over to his side and sat down, raising an arm to wind it around his shoulders and pull him into a half-hug. "No," he disagreed in a soft voice. "You were blinded by your emotions, yes, but you can't compare yourself like that. You're going to try, aren't you?"

Yuto clung to his arm helplessly, eyes stinging with tears. "But... But my brother would have known, okay? He's always been kinder than me. He didn't _deserve_ to die. I should have been the one in that garage."

"None of that," Yamada said, tightening his hold. "You know, it was Kota-san who told me how important hugs were," he started, whispering the words like they were fragile flowers in the wind. "I was in a very bad place a year ago, because-" He paused, took a deep breath, and then started again. "I was in a bad place because of an incident at work. I told you, right? I was in the pediatric ward. I used to take care of children. But as you know, I'm not really... I'm not good with understanding my patients some times. You told me my bedside manner was bad, didn't you?"

Yuto nodded, waiting for Yamada to continue.

"One of them had a history of depression, and I was- I  _didn't_ notice anything. And the next thing I knew, she was-" Yamada took a shuddering breath, pushing himself to finish the story. "She was _gone_. That's why I was scared when I saw you on top of the Sky Tree. I- _I didn't want to lose you, too_." He tightened his hold on Yuto's shoulder, burying his head on his neck to seek as much comfort as he was giving. He cleared his throat, voice suspiciously wet. "When Kota-san asked me to help him with Baymax, I was stuck in a loop of guilty feelings and I didn't want to help. I didn't  _deserve_ redemption. I deserved to be stuck inside my room and die there, like how she did. There wasn't anything he could say to make me help.

"Then he told me about you. I was jealous of you, remember? But aside from that, you were- you were _more_." He sighed, leaning back a bit to glance at Yuto's face. "Kota-san said that you had a phase when you were younger, when you just liked hitting everything with your drum sticks. He said you accidentally hit him on the arm once, and you ended up crying while saying sorry." There was fondness in his voice, a feeling he probably got from Kota's retelling of it. "He said you hugged him, and you told him 'hugs make everything better'. And he did feel better. He said you were a cute healing-type little brother. You were his inspiration, you know? It was because  _of you_. Because Kota thought he wanted everyone to have someone like you in their lives. And hearing that, I started to believe too. If people could have that, something that could hug them and make them feel like there was _good_ in this world? I wanted to be part of that. I may not deserve that, but someone else, somewhere, does."

He paused, letting Yuto absorb that, and then he continued, "You were always going to be that child in Kota-san's mind. And, I think, while Kota-san saw himself in Ryutaro, he saw you in him too. He wanted nothing else but to help Ryutaro get back on track after everything that happened to him, to remind him of the good inside."

Yuto nodded slowly, overwhelmed. He couldn't process the idea of Baymax being partially based on him, on the idea that his wonderful big brother ever thought that _Yuto_ was the example of good. But he could see the situation clearly, the way Kota always took care of people and the way he would do  _anything_ for the people he loved. It was a family trait.

"So..." Yamada let that hang in the air, letting go to stare right at Yuto's face. "Let's do what Yabu wanted to do?"

"Yeah," Yuto agreed. "Let's save Baby."

**\- - -**

"Your bedside manners did improve," Yuto said as they stood up to go back to their friends.

Yamada smiled a bit. "Practice makes perfect, right?"

* * *

_**Acceptance** _

_"We learn to live with it. We can never replace what has been lost, but we can make new connections, new meaningful relationships."_

**\- - -**

In the end, there was no other choice but to go to the Okamoto event and stop Ryutaro right there.

They felt queasy, standing in the shadows and watching as Keito, Kenichi's son, unveiled a huge statue of his father in the middle of their new research facility. After knowing everything Kenichi did, the statue looked nothing more than an offer to the devil. The six of them stood beside each other, watching the events unfold and waiting for the inevitable arrival of Ryutaro.

The moment they announced "And now, for the ribbon-cutting, let's welcome Keito Okamoto, the new president of Okamoto Tech", darkness covered the whole place, like there were thunderclouds up ahead that were blocking the sun. A quick look up showed that it wasn't just clouds though. There was a dome of black nanobots flying right above them, and it opened slightly to reveal Ryutaro, not even wearing the mask anymore. Instead, the silver controller was simply perched on his head. He obviously wanted Kenichi to know exactly who was attacking his son. The nanobots scattered more to reveal one of the portals behind Ryutaro. It was glowing, just like in the video. He  _succeeded_ in switching it back on.

But his plan wasn't for his brother anymore, not like how it was in that first video. Now, all his expression showed was deep-seated anger and a need for revenge.

Yuto looked around and nodded.

This time around, they've got it.

\- - -

Knowing that their goal was to reach Ryutaro and stop him without hurting him, their formation started working better. Inoo made chemical balls as quick as he could, and passed it on to Hikaru, who was much more better with his aim. It was just like how they worked inside the lab before, flawless and in synch with each other. Hikaru threw the chemicals to trap the nanobots, and then used their inability to move to chop them into pieces. Their tag-team was unexpectedly efficient with handling the tendrils that tried to grab Keito from the platform he was hiding in.

Chinen, having nothing to hold him back, jumped around with ease and got closer and closer to Ryutaro without getting caught. He even was able to help Yuya by picking him up when he was about to fall over, and dropping him exactly where he was needed.

Yuya was doing much better as well, being helped by Chinen and Yamada who directed him towards the nanobots' weak spots.

Yamada flew above them all, much more confident in giving orders, and particularly getting better at focusing on what they needed instead of panicking about their injuries. He knew they were strong, that they could all handle this. He trusted their strength now, and in turn, that gave him the confidence to lead.

Yuto stuck close by to Chinen, following his movement to make sure they would both reach Ryutaro before the portal could do any real damage. As he watched, though, he could see that there were too many nanobots and that the portal was getting more and more unstable. They needed a quick plan. "Hey," he spoke through the comm. "Yamada-kun, I think we can use the portal to our advantage."

Yamada was quiet for a while, only the sound of whooshing air getting through the comm. "Sending the nanobots up there?," he asked after a moment. "That's a brilliant idea, Yuto-kun."

With this new mission, they attacked as a team.

**\- - -**

The fight was over almost too quickly.

Ryutaro was on the ground, bound by Chinen's ropes, and the nanobot controller had clattered on the other side, slashed in half by Hikaru's lightsabers. "Just-" Ryutaro squirmed in his binding, eyes glaring fiercely as he looked towards the portal and then to Keito who was safely tucked in between Yuya and Inoo. "Let me do this," he begged, tears welling up in his eyes. "It's the only way!" He yelled. "Kill me after, I don't care. Just  _please_. Let me do this."

Yuto crouched down in front of him, staring him in the eyes. "This isn't going to help," he said. An echo of his own brother's advice. "This isn't going to bring your brother back."

"Yuto..." Ryutaro shook his head, eyes filled with tears. "Don't you understand? I  _killed_ your brother. You should know how it feels. You want me dead, don't you? So kill me. Let me just- give me my revenge, let me do this-"

"But you  _didn't_ kill my brother, did you?"

Yuto watched as Ryutaro shook his head more vehemently this time and stutter out "I did! I did kill him! It was _my_ fault, okay? You know that."

"My brother spent his last minutes trying to convince you to stop your revenge," Yuto said quietly. "And that's what I'd do, to honor him. Because that's the only thing the living could do for the dead, Ryu. We need to honor their wishes. And my brother's last wish was for you to not ruin your life." He reached out a hand, placing it on top of Ryutaro's head. "Revenge isn't the answer. That was what my brother said. And I'll live with that in mind."

He stood up just as he saw Ryutaro slump on himself in surrender. Chinen and Yuya hoisted him up to his feet, loosening his ties to make moving easier. They all knew he wouldn't struggle now.

 

Just as Yuto thought it was over, Yamada flew down from where he was perched, scanning all of them for injuries.

"The portal is too unstable," Architect said urgently. "We need to evacuate." He pulled at the others and motioned for Yuto and Yamada to follow. "Sebastian's trying to find the power source. We'll go shut it down from there."

Yamada didn't move though, gaze fixed on the portal. "There's-  _ohmygod_." He stepped forward, closer to the swirling mass of void. "There's a register. A human pulse." His voice was awed, with an edge of panic. He clicked on the side of his glasses. "It's- I'm pretty sure it's a young man."

Yuto's eyes widened, and everyone stopped in their tracks.

Ryutaro stepped closer, eyes shining with cautious hope. "But it's been  _years_."

"Time might flow differently in that dimension," Chinen said, voice full of wonder. "But it's too- the portal is too unstable. We need to shut it down."

"No!" Ryutaro's voice was painfully similar to how he sounded when Kenichi had first shut the portal down. This must be like reliving his worst nightmare. "No, please. Please- Just-" He staggered forward. "I'll go in. I'll- Please- Let me-"

"I will," Yamada interjected firmly, shaking his head at Ryutaro. "I can fly inside, and I don't have an injury unlike all of you. I can handle it."

"You can't go inside alone," Yuto argued defiantly, panic rising. That lump in his throat made itself known again, making his voice rough when he added, "You might get stuck in there."

"We don't have time to argue, Yuto-kun." Yamada's voice has gone soft. "There's a patient I can still save," he said. _This time, I'm going to save them before it's too late_ , he meant. He smiled and held out a fist. "I'll be back, I promise."

Yuto sucked in a breath and exhaled it slowly. There was no point in arguing. Yamada was as stubborn as a mule, persistent and determined and _so goddamn nosy_. He won't stop now that he knew he could still do something. He'll save that guy, like how he saved Yuto.

He nodded his assent once. "You  _have_ to come back. I can't-" He swallowed, but the lump latched on. He stepped forward, pulling Yamada in a quick hug, whispering, " _I can't lose you, too_ " to his ear before letting go.

Yamada nodded, saluting with one hand and offering the other closer towards Yuto. "I promise."

Yuto bumped his fist with Yamada's, and hoped for the best.

**\- - -**

**Epilogue: 6 months later**

**\- - -**

"Quick! Quick! We're on TV!"

Hikaru pulled Inoo and Yuya's hands until they were sitting beside him on the couch. Chinen sat lazily on the floor, munching on a tub of popcorn. Yuto came in a second later, his laptop in hand, and plopped down beside Chinen. The screen was showing pictures of the five of them flying through Tokyo. It was taken a few days ago, when there was a terrorist trying to detonate bombs in different train stations. Another set of pictures was shown: a batch of them fighting a giant robot that appeared out of nowhere.

"We look _so good_ ," Hikaru said, reaching out to get some popcorn from Chinen's tub. "We're the best! Go team!"

Chinen rolled his eyes, swatting his hand. "Sshhh... There's still-" He stopped and pointed towards the screen, where it was now showing a press conference by Keito Okamoto in front of the rebuilt research facility. The statue was missing in front, still. They all knew it wouldn't be made again, not after everything.

_"Now that I've officially been appointed as the president and CEO of Okamoto Tech., I would like to address an issue that has been buried for years. My father did not want this to go out as it might destroy our company, and even though I see where he is coming from, I would like to start being the kind of president who took responsibility for our company's actions..."_

They all grew quiet as Keito explained the whole situation with the Morimotos, citing the accident and how they wanted to study it much more deeply so nothing of that sort can happen again. "We will value the life of people as they should be valued: priceless." He ended his speech without any mention of Ryutaro's attack.

Everyone sighed in relief. Maybe there was hope for Okamoto Tech., still. Kota would be proud of them, of what they've achieved. _  
_

Yuto went back to typing on his laptop, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand when they tried to close on their own. "I  _will_ finish you," he whispered to the laptop threateningly. "You  _will_ be finished, I swear."

"Still not done?" Chinen asked, peeking at the screen. "You're so _slow_."

"I'm  _sorry_ I'm not a genius at everything I do," Yuto griped, the lack of sleep showing in his tone.

"Well, yeah, not everyone can be me," Chinen shot back cheekily, patting him on the cheek. "You should sleep it off. You look awful."

"I want to finish it today," Yuto persisted, narrowing his eyes at the code. "I  _will_ finish you."

Chinen chuckled. "He'll kill you if he sees you like this, you know? Those _eyebags..._ "

Yuto pouted, narrowing his eyes at Chinen. "You have a point."

"I  _always_ have a point," Chinen said, raising an eyebrow as if challenging him to rebuff that.

Yuto decided to close his laptop and sleep it off, instead of reacting to that.

**\- - -**

When he woke up, Chinen was sitting on Kota's old bed, typing on Yuto's laptop.

"What are you doing?," Yuto asked with a yawn, stretching his legs down before standing up. He walked over while rubbing the sleep off his eyes. "What-" He stopped, eyes widening. "Chinen!"

"I'm  _helping,_ " Chinen sighed, placing the laptop down at the side to face Yuto.

"You're a Physics major."

Chinen nodded and then raised an eyebrow.  _So what?,_  his expression said.

"This is an advanced code," Yuto noted, gesturing to the laptop. "You can't touch it just-"

Chinen rolled his eyes. "Would you like to look at it and see how unhelpful I've been?"

Yuto snatched the laptop away and scrolled down the code, reading through the lines he didn't remember writing. "How..." He gaped at Chinen. The code was nearly finished now, missing just small tweaks that Yuto could make in one sitting. "How did you...?"

"I'm in the Department of Robotics, Yutti," he said, patting Yuto's arm condescendingly. "I'm at least knowledgeable in half the projects, and an expert at the other half."

Yuto reaffirmed his fear of Chinen's skills and his gratefulness for Chinen not becoming a supervillain. (They'd be  _doomed_ , if that happened.)

"Speaking of..." Chinen smiled sweetly, standing up to loom over Yuto in what seemed to be a show of dominance. "Projects. This one in particular." Yuto gulped, offering an innocent smile. "So, you're helping out Yama-chan, right?"

"...yes?"

"And you want to take care of him?," he asked, eyes narrowing.

"Yes," Yuto said, nodding. He knew that one for sure.

Chinen stared him down for a few seconds, assessing. "Good." He nodded. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes again. "But I need you to remember one thing, okay?"

Yuto waited it out, hating how scared he was being. If he stood up, Chinen only reached his shoulders. Why is he scared of someone so  _tiny_?

The threatening expression faltered for a bit, eyes softening as if he saw something in Yuto's expression. "As much as Yama-chan likes taking care of people, of taking care of  _you_ , I need you to remember that he was hurt too, before. He's coping, like you are. If you want to be..." He tilted his head, searching for a word. "If you want to be his  _companion_ , you have to know that he would need you as much as you needed him. That you need to take care of him, as much as he did for you."

"Of course!" Yuto knew this has been niggling on Chinen's mind, has seen the looks Chinen gave him while he was working on the code. Chinen has always been protective of their team, but he was especially protective of Yamada. Yuto was glad about that, thankful that someone was keeping Yamada's happiness as priority. "I- I know that. And I will."

Chinen's smile was fond and warm. "Good." He pulled Yuto's arm, making him stand. He patted both of his shoulders and grinned. "Now, go make him happy."

As Yuto picked his laptop up and walked out the door, he wondered if this was what it felt to get a father-in-law's blessing.

****\- - -** **

Yuya was already waiting for him downstairs when he came down the first floor. With a huge grin and a thumbs up, he said he'd drive Yuto to the destination of his heart. Daiki wolf-whistled at the side and said he'll give Yuya a free cake for being such a great friend. Kame  _also_ wolf-whistled and gave him a thumbs up, which really was more embarrassing than anything. He was suddenly glad Yamada was too busy with his classes and taking care of Shintaro to visit the cafe, because Uncle Kame would definitely be  _more_ embarrassing if ever Yamada came by.

Ignoring them, Yuto grabbed Yuya's arm and pulled him away.

**\- - -**

As soon as Yuya's black sports car stopped in front of the building, Yuto unbuckled his belt and ran, throwing a "thanks!" before going inside.

Rushing too much, he didn't even notice until it was too late that Yamada was also rushing to the opposite direction.

"OUCH!," they both shouted, falling on their butts from the impact. Yamada was the first to recover, hand rubbing on his forehead. "What are you doing here?," he asked.

Yuto rubbed on his nose, cheeks flushing. "I, ah-"

Before he could finish that sentence, they heard a familiar sound of vinyl being inflated, and squeaky footsteps coming their way. They stared at each other as they heard the door of Kota's old lab open. "Hello!" The robot said, in its pleasant voice. It waved a hand as it toddled closer. "I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion. On a scale of one to ten, how will you rate your pain?"

Yamada glanced at the robot, laughing just a bit. "Well, Baymax, I'm right here so you can't function any more than that, I'm afraid."

"Um," Yuto started, hastily pushing himself to stand and walking over to the robot. "Well," he glanced down at Yamada, smiling sheepishly. "I might have the solution to that."

Yamada's eyes widened, sitting up straighter. "Wh-what?"

Yuto nodded, and then turned back to Baymax, clicking the circle right above Baymax' heart to release a disk port forward. He took out a green data disk and carefully inserted it, holding his breath as he watched it get swallowed down.

"Hello! I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion," it repeated. "In a scale of one to ten, how will you rate your pain?" Its stomach glowed with ten different smiley faces.

"One," Yuto answered immediately, holding out a finger.

"I will scan you now," Baymax said pleasantly. Green light came out of its eyes and lit up Yuto for a moment. "Please wait a moment. I will put cold compress on your nose as soon as everyone has been scanned." It then turned towards Yamada and asked, "How about you? In a scale of one to ten, how will you rate your pain?"

"I can't feel anything," Yamada said in awe, expression slack with shock.

"Is that so?," Baymax asked, effectively sounding concerned. "Numbness may be a sign of some other illness. I am going to scan you now." The green light appeared again. "Scan complete. Your heart rate is elevated and you have sore muscles. I suggest some medicine. Would you like me to list them out now?"

There was silence as Yamada continued to stare. And then finally, "Oh my god," he gasped. He stood up, darting towards Baymax to stare some more. "Oh my _god_."

"Your heart rate is elevating," Baymax said, tilting his head. "Are you alright?"

"He's-!" Yamada motioned towards Baymax with both hands, looking at Yuto with sparkling eyes. "He's talking! On his own! With his own-  _ohmygod_." He jumped on his feet once, twice, and then launched himself on to Yuto's arms. "YUTO-KUN!" He wrapped his arms around Yuto's back in a practiced motion, squeezing tightly. " _You did it!_ "

"I told you I'd finish it," Yuto said smugly, choosing to leave out Chinen's contribution for now. "I'm great, aren't I?"

"Kota-san would be so proud of you," Yamada said on a sob. Yuto could feel the tears on his shoulder. Yamada was getting  _really_ emotional.

Not that Yuto was any different. While the mention of his brother did not give him the same debilitating sadness as before, it was still a painful reminder of what they lost. But there's another feeling too, that of hope and fondness. He  _knew_ his brother would be proud of him, would be so happy they finished this project together. He'd be proud of how much Yuto worked, and how he continued on forward and never gave up.

"Are _you_ proud of me?" Yuto asked cheekily, grinning as Yamada bumped his forehead on the side of Yuto's head.

"Of  _course_ ," Yamada answered, as if that should be obvious.

"Is this hug one of those comforting hugs you give your patients?," Yuto asked, just to poke some more.

Yamada sighed into the hug, nuzzling his head on Yuto's neck. "Nope," he said easily. " _This one's all for me._ "

**\- - -**

("I am satisfied with my care," Yuto said, grinning as Yamada let go of him.

"I am confused," Baymax replied, blinking his beady lens eyes. "I have not yet given you the aid you need."

"Don't worry, Baymax, I've already got my own personal healthcare companion. I'm all taken care of.")

**Author's Note:**

>  **Major Character Death** : Yabu.  
>  **Blood:** Yuto gets really violent a one point and draws blood from the enemy's neck. It's mentioned quite a few times.  
>  **Suicide Attempt:** Yuto considers jumping off a building. An unnamed character is mentioned to have died because of suicide.  
>  **Depression:** Yuto and the unnamed character. It's mentioned in name once, but symptoms are all over the story.


End file.
